Silver Moon
by Mailrebel
Summary: Book 3: Gintoki and Tsukuyo are preparing to be wed. Many people are happy for the couple, but Kagura is actually upset with the thought of Gintoki leaving her and Shinpachi. Things get worse once Takasugi arrives, intent on destroying everything important to Gintoki...(Gintsu)
1. Book 1 - Chapter 1

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 1

It was a bright, warm morning in May. The sun was nearly center in the sky, shining down on the citizens of the city below it. Everyone was walking around the streets, enjoying the nice springtime weather.

The name of the city is Yoshiwara. It used to be a city that was only held in darkness, known as being an "eternal night". The city is now completely open to the sky, allowing all of its citizens to enjoy wonderful days such as this one.

Three of the people in this city were currently all walking together, each of them holding something in their hands.

"What a beautiful day it is today," noted the glasses-wearing boy known as Shinpachi.

"It is for you," said the girl known as Kagura. "This sunlight is deadly to a Yato like me," she said, holding her umbrella up high to prevent the rays from hitting her delicate skin.

"I thought we already told you that the author forgot about that detail a long time ago," said the silver-haired samurai known as Gintoki. "Besides, we won't be able to enjoy this weather seeing as we have to be inside entertaining a customer all day," he said with a frown.

Shinpachi looked at him with a frown. "Come on Gin-san, don't make it sound like this is torture. It's just a birthday party for a friend."

"Yeah, a birthday party that we have to set up and organize," he replied. "Plus, we had to go out and buy gifts for the brat. I'd much rather spend the money at the pachinko parlor," he complained.

"Hinowa said she would pay us for helping set up and that Seita would love to see us at his party," Shinpachi explained. "They must really think of us as good friends. We should be happy to come and spend time with them."

"And eat plenty of cake," added Kagura.

"Well, as long as were getting paid," said Gintoki.

The trio continued on to Hinowa's house in order to celebrate Seita's birthday. The three had been invited to his party and were asked to set up beforehand. Hinowa had offered to pay them for the trouble, an offer they gladly accepted. Each of them was currently holding a present, a gift for the birthday boy.

When the Odd Jobs gang arrived at their destination, they knocked on the door, and waited to be answered.

"Come on in," called a voice from inside.

The group opened the door and let themselves in. They removed their shoes and set their neatly wrapped presents down on the floor.

"I'm in here," the voice called again. It came from the kitchen. They all walked in to find Tsukuyo looking at a list of what they assumed was a to-do for the party. She looked up to see the Odd Jobs crew entering the room. "Oh, good. You guys are here," she said.

"Tsukky!" Kagura cried. She ran over to give Tsukuyo a hug, happy to see her.

"Good morning Tsukuyo, where's the birthday boy?" asked Shinpachi. He looked around, wondering if Seita was there so they could wish him a happy birthday.

"Seita and Hinowa left a while ago," Tsukuyo explained. "They are going to spend the day at the zoo together and come back here for the party tonight."

"Wait a minute, if Hinowa's not here, who's going to help us set up this party?" asked Gintoki, who was currently picking his nose.

Tsukuyo looked at him. "She left me in charge of this task. I'll be the head of the party-planning." It was true. Hinowa had asked Tsukuyo to set up the party and had hired the Odd Jobs to give her a hand. Tsukuyo had not really wanted to do it, but Hinowa had insisted, saying it would be a good experience for her.

Gintoki couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What? Are you serious? You're in charge?"

"What's the problem with that huh?" asked Tsukuyo, starting to get angry with the samurai. The two younger Odd Jobs members just stood there in silence, watching the two adults begin to argue.

"You don't know how to throw a party do you? You're just going to screw it up," he said, shaking is head. "It's for the best if I'm in charge."

Tsukuyo was seriously starting to get pissed off now. It was true that she wasn't exactly an expert when it came to something like this, but she was giving it her all. She didn't want to let Gintoki take it from her.

"Listen, you. Hinowa left me in charge of the party. I know what I'm doing. I even made this list of stuff we need to do to make it a good party," she said, waving the list in front of Gintoki's face. "You're just the help she hired."

Seeing that Gin was about to continue arguing, Shinpachi decided to break it up. "Alright, alright. Let's all calm down." He took the list from Tsukuyo and looked it over. "These ideas look pretty good Gin-san, let's go with these."

Gin still wasn't happy. "I still don't want to take orders from someone who doesn't know what she's doing."

That comment managed to push Tsukuyo over the edge, and with one swift movement, landed a kunai in Gintoki's forehead. He fell to the ground without uttering a sound, probably because the blow had knocked him unconscious.

Kagura ran over to him, "Oh no! Tsukky, you knocked Gin-chan out cold."

Tsukuyo looked away and crossed her arms. "He deserved it for being such an ass to me."

Shinpachi sighed. _These two will spend all their time arguing if I don't do something about it. _"We're not getting anywhere like this. Gin-san, if it will make you happy, both you and Tsukuyo can be in charge. Is that alright with you Tsukuyo?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Whatever. As long as he shuts up and leaves me alone."

* * *

The four of them were now sitting at the table in the kitchen, going over everything that Tsukuyo had put on the list. They would need balloons, streamers, birthday candles, candy, and all of the food required for cooking that wasn't already in the pantry.

"Well, looks like that should be everything," said Gintoki as he finished going over the list.

"Tsukuyo did a good job listing everything, right Gin-san? She seems to know what she's doing," said Shinpachi, trying to ease the tension set between them earlier.

"Fine, she managed to do one thing right," he admitted, a little embarrassed.

Tsukuyo smiled upon hearing this. _At least he can admit when he's wrong, _she thought.

Gin decided to move on before anyone could comment. "Alright, let's get started then." He pointed to his two workers and tossed them the list, "Shinpachi, Kagura, you two go out and get everything we need for tonight. While we wait, Tsukuyo and I will stay here and start the cooking with what we have. Understood?"

Shinpachi and Kagura both nodded in agreement. Tsukuyo, however, was not quite on board.

"C-c-cooking? Me?" she stuttered.

Gin looked over at her. "Is there a problem, leader?"

"Yeah, I'm not exactly useful when it comes to cooking," she said nervously. "How about I go shopping with one of them, and the other can stay here and help you."

"Nonsense, these two are the ones that are truly useless when it comes to cooking," he said, pointing at his two employees. "You should do just fine compared to them."

"What do you mean by 'useless at cooking'?" asked Shinpachi and Kagura in unison.

"What? It's true," said Gin, who was trying to play it off innocently. "Hurry up and get going, we need this stuff as soon as possible."

"Fine."

Shinpachi and Kagura got up and started walking out of the room. Tsukuyo tried one last time to change their minds before they left. "W-wait a second, are you all sure about this? I-I mean…" she trailed off. It seemed like everyone was already on board with the plan.

Gin stood up and walked to the pantry. "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

A short while later, the two chefs were getting ready to start on the cake.

Gintoki was gathering all of the basic ingredients to get started while Tsukuyo watched, not really sure what to do.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Gintoki," she said, "because I won't be much help." She felt a little bad, seeing as she would end up being completely useless in this situation. She definitely didn't feel like she was in charge anymore.

Gintoki didn't seem to care about her lack of skill in the kitchen. "Don't worry, just do everything I tell you and it should be fine. I know exactly what I'm doing. When it comes to cooking, I'm a master."

Tsukuyo was a little surprised to hear this. "Really? I never knew you were good at cooking."

"Why so surprised? If I weren't any good, the whole Odd Jobs would starve to death." He looked like he was about ready to start. He turned his back to her and got to work.

"Who taught you how to cook?" asked Tsukuyo, who was still a little curious.

Gintoki seemed to slow down with what he was doing, but he kept working. Tsukuyo began to wonder if he had heard her question when he suddenly gave a reply.

"My master taught me…but that was a long time ago…" His head fell down a little bit in sorrow.

Tsukuyo didn't know what to say. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She had previously learned that he had lost his master sometime in the Joi War. She had not meant to open up old wounds. _He must have cared for his master a lot. Maybe that question was a little too personal. I should probably apologize for bringing it up._

However, before she could apologize, Gintoki brought his head back up and sped up the pace of what he was doing. He appeared to have gotten over it and was moving on. "Anyway," he said, "I'm surprised you can't cook." He had turned the attention back to her.

"Why is that so surprising?" asked Tsukuyo.

He stopped what he was doing and turned around to face her. "Well, you know. You're a woman right?"

"What's that have to do with anything?" she asked, starting to get a little angry.

"Women should know how to cook, it's one of the few things they're good at."

Tsukuyo glared at him with a vein popping out of her forehead. She was about to lose it. He was seriously pissing her off now with his sexist comments. However, before she could say anything, he kept on talking.

"Honestly, if you can't even do something that women all over the universe can do on a daily basis, then I guess you really are uesle-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP ASSHOLE!"

Gintoki had finally pushed her over the edge with his last comment. He now had a kunai planted firmly in his forehead with a small stream of blood flowing out of the wound down his face. Surprisingly, he seemed unfazed by his new wound, and was still staring at Tsukuyo, who was still steaming with anger.

"So what if I'm a woman who doesn't know how to cook? I told you that I gave up my femininity a long time ago. I'm a warrior; I don't need to know how to cook. And it's none of your business whether I can cook or not!"

Gintoki just smiled as he continued staring at her. "You should learn, I think you'd be good at it," he said sincerely.

"Why, because I'm a woman?" she snapped. She was still upset with him.

"Well, that's certainly part of it, but mostly because you're a very skilled individual that excels at everything she does. That's all." He turned back towards the counter and continued his work.

_Did he just complement me? _Tsukuyo wondered. _Damn it, what game is he playing? He's saying such insulting comments and then he says something sweet to me._ Tsukuyo couldn't help but keep watching Gintoki as he continued working, even though there was still a kunai in his head. _I guess this is how he's always been. A complete ass who shows his sweet side once in a while._

Hearing no reply from Tsukuyo, he decided to pipe up, "You know, you should say 'thank you' when someone complements you."

Tsukuyo ignored this comment and threw a cloth on his head. "Pull that thing out of your head and clean up your face. We don't need you dripping blood all over the cake."

Gintoki grabbed the cloth from his head and smiled at it. _I guess this is her way of saying thank you _he thought to himself.

* * *

Before long, Shinpachi and Kagura came back carrying everything they needed for the party. The four of them spent the afternoon getting everything ready for Seita's return. Gintoki focused on finishing the cake while the other three decorated the living room in preparation for the party. When they were finished, the room looked perfectly ready for a party. It was filled with balloons and even had a large banner that had the words 'Happy Birthday Seita!' written on it.

"It looks great," said Tsukuyo, happy that things turned out so well.

"I'll bet Seita is going to love it," said Shinpachi. "When are they going to get here?"

Tsukuyo looked at the clock. "Hinowa said they'd come home around 6:00. We have about 15 minutes left."

"Gin-chan! Where's the cake? I'm hungry!" shouted Kagura. She cared more about the food than the party.

Gintoki walked into the room, wiping his hands with a dry towel. "The cake is finished, but keep your hands off. It's for the party."

"Now we just have to wait," said Tsukuyo. She felt proud that she was able to get everything together. She had been a little worried when Hinowa had asked her to do this, but now she was happy she was done. And it all looked great too. _I couldn't have done it without them _she thought while looking at the Odd Jobs gang.

"Oh!" said Shinpachi, suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot, we left our gifts at the door. Where should we put them Tsukuyo?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right," said Tsukuyo, realizing she had also forgot something. "Hinowa had some gifts she wanted me to set out too and I-" she suddenly paused. "Oh no," she said, starting to look a little panicked.

She had gained the attention of the other three. "What's wrong, Tsukky?" asked Kagura.

"I just realized…that I forgot to get a present for Seita," she said slowly. She was looking at the ground, with an expression on her face that looked like she had just done something horrible.

"Wait, are you serious?" asked Shinpachi.

"How could you forget to get him a present?" asked Gintoki. "I thought you were in charge of the party."

"I know, it must have slipped my mind," she said. "I was so focused on planning the party that I must have forgotten." She looked up at them. "What am I going to do?" she asked, hoping the three of them could somehow help her.

"There's still time!" said Kagura. "Go out and get something before they get here!"

"There's no time for that, they'll be here in ten minutes!" shouted Gintoki. "Just run to your room and grab something for him."

"Um, I don't think I have anything that a little boy would want," said Tsukuyo doubtfully.

"I know! Just tell him the cake is his present! That should work," said Kagura.

"Cake isn't a gift!" shouted Shinpachi. "There has to be something we can do!"

"Everyone stop! It's okay," said Tsukuyo. Everyone immediately shut up, bringing the chaos to an end. "You don't have to worry about it, I'll just tell him the truth," said Tsukuyo.

"What? No way!" said Kagura.

"Yeah, we can figure something out!" said Shinpachi.

Gintoki just stared at her in silence, waiting to her what she was going to say.

Tsukuyo sighed. "No, really, it's fine. It's completely my fault for forgetting. It's not your guys' problem to worry about."

"Are you sure?" asked Kagura, still hoping they could help in some way.

"It will be okay," she kept saying. "I'll just tell him that I forgot and I'll find a way to make it up to him later." She looked down at the floor again. "I just hope he won't be too disappointed with me. He has always thought of me as his big sister… and I guess I've always thought of him as a little brother," she confessed.

Gintoki continued looking at her. He thought for a second he might have seen a tear in her eye. He couldn't help but feel bad for her. After all she had done to give Seita such a wonderful party, she would end up feeling like she hadn't done a good job because of this. _It's obvious she feels really bad about the whole thing _he thought. _Maybe there is something that can still be done._

He decided to speak up. "Well, it looks like it can't be helped," he said shaking his head. He went over to Shinpachi and Kagura and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "How about you two go and bring out Hinowa's gifts while I bring ours out from the front, ok?"

They were still looking at Tsukuyo, wishing they could help her in some way. "Yeah, ok" they said. They slowly walked off to another room to fetch the gifts.

As Gintoki was about to leave the room to head out front, he looked back at Tsukuyo. "Hey, cheer up. Seita won't want to see you upset at his party, right?"

She looked up at him, revealing that her eyes were clear of tears. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said.

Gintoki was still sure of what he had seen earlier. He was certain something had formed in her eye. "Don't worry," he told her. "I'm sure everything will work itself out in the end."

He then walked out of the room, a plan forming in his head.

* * *

**Author: Hello everyone! Well this is the first chapter of-**

**Gintoki: What the hell is this shit?**

**Author: What? What's wrong?**

**Gintoki: This story, it sucks.**

**Author: What? No it doesn't. I worked really hard on this.**

**Gintoki: No, no, no, you completely screwed it up.**

**Author: What's wrong with it?**

**Gintoki: Let me show you. First off, do you even know what season it is in May in Japan? Is it really Spring?**

**Author: …Oh…well…I tried to research it but I didn't really find anyth-**

**Gintoki: What a dedicated author you are! You can't even do a little research for your story! You'd rather risk being wrong then do a little work!**

**Author: That's not true…I mean…I thought it would be ok…**

**Gintoki: And what about that cooking scene with me and Tsukuyo?**

**Author: What was wrong with that?**

**Gintoki: You couldn't even tell what I was doing! You just kept saying that I "continued my work". What work? What was I doing?**

**Author: Oh, well…I don't really know much about cooking myself, so I couldn't really get into the details.**

**Gintoki: Get into the details? How about you just tell them what I'm doing!? I looked like a complete idiot in that scene!**

**Author: …Well that's all we have time for today.**

**Gintoki: Hey! Don't ignore me! We're not done ye-**

**Author: Feel free to leave a review, and look forward to the next chapter!**


	2. Book 1 - Chapter 2

**Holy crap, at least two people left positive reviews on the first chapter. That was two more than what I expected! Here's chapter two!**

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 2

Tsukuyo sat in silence in the decorated living room. _How could I have forgotten? I feel horrible. _She looked around the room, staring at all the decorations she had just help set up. For some reason, it only filled her with a sense of dread. _I feel bad now but it will only be worse when the time comes and Seita actually learns the truth._

She imagined his face, all sad and disappointed. _He'll probably think I didn't care enough to get him something. It's not really about the present; it's really about who it came from. It shows that they care about you. He'll think I don't care about him _she kept thinking over and over.

Suddenly, Shinpachi and Kagura interrupted Tsukuyo's thoughts as they walked into the room. They were carrying the gifts that Hinowa had bought for Seita.

"Where should we put these, Tsukuyo?" asked Shinpachi.

"On the table is fine," she replied. The other two could still tell that she was upset with herself.

"Are you ok, Tsukky?" asked Kagura as she set down the present in her hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, not wanting to let them know how bad she still felt.

"It will be okay. Seita's a good kid. He'll understand," said Shinpachi, trying to help Tsukuyo feel better.

"I hope so," she said. For some reason, she just couldn't shake her negative thoughts. She could only think of how she had failed as an older sister figure.

Kagura looked around the room. "Where is Gin-chan?" she asked.

Shinpachi was curious too. "He said he was bringing in our gifts from the front, what could be taking so long?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Gintoki shouted from the front. He then appeared holding all three of the Odd Jobs' gifts. He set them down on the table with the others. He then looked over at Tsukuyo and noticed that she wasn't following his advice.

"I thought I told you to cheer up. You're going to ruin the party," he told her.

Tsukuyo sighed. _He's right. I need to stop acting so gloomy and cheer up for the sake of-_

"Honestly, are you going to be a bitch all night?"

"I'M NOT A BITCH!"

For the third time that day, Gintoki had once again managed to earn another kunai in his temple. Gintoki was actually happy with himself, and gave Tsukuyo a smile to show it. "Good, it looks like you're back to normal," he said. "Now try not to be a bitch until the party is over, ok?"

"You're such an ass, you know that?!" she growled.

Gintoki looked concerned. "Calm down. If you're this upset during the party, you'll probably scare the poor kid."

"I'll behave during the party so just shut up!" she screamed.

He smiled again, showing that he was satisfied with her answer. Or maybe he was just happy that he managed to work Tsukuyo into a frenzy.

_Why does he like to piss me off so much? _she wondered. _I can't stand him sometimes. Can't he tell that I'm upset about-_

She paused. She suddenly realized that Gintoki's comments had actually taken her mind off of her dilemma. Tsukuyo looked at him, watching him pull the kunai out of his head as he looked at himself in a mirror. _I can never tell what he's up to _she thought.

Suddenly, the room went silent at the sound of the front door opening. Gintoki took a quick peek into the front. "They're here!" he whispered.

It was time. Hinowa and Seita had finally come home and it was time to start the party. The group of four rearranged themselves so they were standing next to each other. The moment Seita walked into the room, they would all wish him a happy birthday.

"Everyone smile!" Gintoki said. "Let's greet the birthday boy with happy faces. That includes you, Tsukuyo."

"Shut it."

A few seconds later, the young boy known as Seita walked into the room. His face started to light up as he looked at all the decorations.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEITA!" everyone shouted.

"Oh wow," he said with a big goofy smile. He kept looking around the room, trying to take it all in. He noticed that the Odd Jobs gang was there, just like he had hoped. "Gin-san! I'm so happy you guys could come!" he said.

He started looking around the room again, but he suddenly looked back at Gintoki. His smile had disappeared, and he had a look of worry on his face. "Um, Gin-san, your face is bleeding," he said.

Gintoki put a hand on his bleeding wound, covering it up. By doing that, he managed to stop the flow of blood for the most part. Nevertheless, he still had blood running all over his face. "Don't worry about it," he said.

"Um, ok?" said Seita, not quite sure whether he should be concerned or not.

Hinowa wheeled herself out from the front into the living room. She gave a big smile as she looked at what a good job the group had done.

"Doesn't it look great, mom?" asked Seita, starting to get excited again. He could hardly believe this was all for him.

"Yes, it looks wonderful," she said. "Did you say thank you to them yet?" she asked, taking on her motherly role.

"Oh, right. Thanks you guys!" he shouted.

"No problem," said Shinpachi. "Tsukuyo was the one who planned all this," he added, trying to help her out.

Tsukuyo smiled when he said that. _He's making it seem like I set all this up. He's trying to make me look good to Seita so he won't be as disappointed with me later. Thank you, Shinpachi._

"Hey, we did most of the work," blurted out Gintoki, not even caring about what Shinpachi was trying to do. He was currently trying to wipe his bleeding face off on the living room curtains.

"Gin-san, please don't do that to my curtains," said Hinowa.

Tsukuyo glared at Gintoki, once again upset with him. _Couldn't he tell Shinpachi was trying to help me out by saying that? Does he really need attention that badly? He couldn't just let me take the credit to help myself feel better? No, he couldn't. He had to be an asshole and make me feel bad. _

Gintoki looked up from the curtains to notice that not only Tsukuyo, but also Shinpachi and Kagura were glaring at him. "What?" he asked innocently. "It's true. She couldn't have done all of this without our help."

Tsukuyo was completely fed up with Gintoki at that point. She wished the night were over already so he would finally leave. He had pissed her off enough for one day.

"Oh, well thank you all for this great party," said Seita. He was trying to make it seem like they were all equally responsible for setting up the party. He didn't want to watch them fight over something like this all night long.

An awkward silence fell on the room. Tsukuyo, Shinpachi, and Kagura were still staring at Gintoki while Seita and Hinowa looked at them, not sure what was going on.

"How about we get started on the cake?" suggested Gintoki, hoping to draw the attention back to the party.

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll go get it ready," said Hinowa, trying to ease the tension in the room. "Are you hungry, Seita?"

"Oh yeah, let's get some cake!" he shouted. He ran into the kitchen with Hinowa following behind. The group of four was left behind, still standing in silence.

"Well, I hope you're happy Gin-san," said Shinpachi, clearly disappointed. "Let's go, Kagura."

"Right, I'm starving," she said. They both made their way out of the room and into the kitchen.

Gintoki was starting to feel worried. _Why are they so pissed off? What did I say? _He looked over at Tsukuyo to see that she was looking away from him, clearly upset.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. "Was it what I said earlier? You're not upset about that are you?"

Tsukuyo still didn't want to deal with him. "Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you," she said coldly. Without even looking at him, she started to make her way out of the room.

"Hold on," he said, not wanting her to leave because she was mad at him. He reached out and grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted as she snatched her arm out of his grasp.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to sound innocent. He wanted to find out why she was so mad at him. Especially since he felt like he hadn't done anything to deserve it.

"Can't you tell I'm upset with you?" she snapped. She started to glare at him again, but then stopped and took a deep breath. After she managed to calm down a little, she turned away from him and started walking towards the kitchen again. "Just leave me alone, ok?" she said, bringing the conversation to an end.

As she exited the room, Gintoki just stared after her. "Damn it, what is she so pissed about?" he asked himself. "I just wanted a little appreciation for my help, that's all. Sheesh."

He looked over at the pile of gifts that currently sat on the table. He turned back around and started walking to the kitchen to join the others.

_She'll get over it _he thought to himself.

* * *

When Gintoki finally joined them, they were ready to begin. Hinowa had placed and lit all of the birthday candles on the cake. They all sang 'Happy Birthday' to Seita and he blew out his candles. After that, Hinowa cut up the cake and made sure everyone received a piece. Once they were sure that everyone had received some, Kagura and Seita helped themselves to the rest of the cake, finishing it in minutes. After they had all finished, they moved back to the living room. It was time to open gifts.

Tsukuyo took a deep breath to try to ease her nervousness. _It's time _she thought.

Seita started with Hinowa's gifts at her request. Tsukuyo watched him open each gift with exciement, followed by the satisfaction of a new toy. _He looks so happy _she thought. _I hate to be the one to disappoint him, but it's my own fault. I need to take responsibility for my mistakes._

With each new present opened, Tsukuyo just became more and more nervous. It was like a countdown until he realized that a present was absent, her present for him. _Damn it, I just wish tonight was over already. I just want to skip past the disappointment and go to bed so I can forget everything that happened today._

Seita had finished opening the last of Hinowa's gifts. After he had thanked his mother, he went to grab his next gift from the table. There were three presents left, one from each of the Odd Jobs crew. Seita carefully looked over all of them, trying to decide which one should be opened next.

He suddenly made a decision as he was looking. "I know, I should open big sis Tsukuyo's gift next!" he said in delight.

Tsukuyo froze. _Shit! He's looking for a gift from me! _She had expected him to open all of the gifts before he found out that one was missing. She didn't think he would go looking for one from her.

_Well, here we go _she thought. It was time to tell him the truth. She was about to open her mouth when Seita surprisingly picked up a present from the table and sat down with it.

_What's he doing? _she wondered. _Why did he pick up that gift? Doesn't he know it's not from me? Maybe he got so excited and just grabbed a gift thinking its mine?_

She decided to stop him. "Um, Seita, that gift isn't from me," she said truthfully. She didn't want to take a gift away from someone else. It wouldn't be fair.

Seita looked confused. "What are you talking about? Of course it's from you. It has your name on it, see?" He held the tag on the gift up so Tsukuyo could clearly read it.

To Tsukuyo's surprise, it actually said 'To Seita, From Tsukuyo'. "Oh, you're right," she said, not really sure what to think. _What's going on? I know I didn't get him something._ She looked over to Kagura and Shinpachi as Seita began opening the mystery gift. They were both looking at her with surprised looks too. They didn't know what was going on either.

"Tsukky," Kagura whispered, "I thought you said you didn't get him anything."

"I didn't…" Tsukuyo whispered back. She was now watching Seita finish unwrapping his gift to reveal a cardboard box. He opened the box and lifted out what was inside.

"Oh cool!" he cried. In his hand was a small robot toy. It had a wind-up key on its back and a button on its front. When he pushed the button, the robot's eyes shined on him like a flashlight. "Wow it's so bright!" he said. "This is so cool, thank you Tsukuyo!"

"Um, you're welcome, Seita." Tsukuyo was still confused. She decided to keep pretending like she had given him the toy for the sake of his happiness. Nevertheless, she still wanted to find out what exactly had just happened.

Tsukuyo looked around at people in the room with her. _Was it Hinowa? Did she buy something for Seita for me? _She entertained the thought of that actually being true before she denied it. _No, Hinowa wouldn't have known that I forgot. No doubt that she would be willing to help me out in this situation, but she couldn't have known. It would have had to be someone who had known. That means…_

She looked back at the three Odd Jobs members. _It was one of them. They're the only ones who knew. _She looked at Shinpachi and Kagura. They were currently watching Seita open the presents they had given him. _Those two seemed surprised that Seita had received a gift from me, so it wouldn't have been them. That leaves…_

She glanced over at Gintoki, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was also watching Seita open the last of his gifts.

_No way _she thought. _There's no way that asshole would help me out. Why would he? It was someone else. It had to have been._

Once Seita had finished opening all of his gifts, he sat down and looked over them all. He had received a couple from his mother, the mystery one from Tsukuyo, one from Shinpachi, and one from Kagura. He calculated all of this in his head and realized he was one short.

"Hey, wait a minute," he said. "Gin-san, didn't you get me anything?"

"Huh?" he asked, acting like he wasn't paying attention. "Oh right. You see, Seita, I did buy you a gift."

"Really?" he asked, hoping he was lucky enough to get one more present.

"Yep. But I sold it," said Gintoki.

"What?"

Gintoki began scratching the back of his head. "Yeah… you see, I was going to give you your present, but I ended up deciding that I'd rather use the money for gambling instead. I figured I could hit it big and get you an even better present than the one I already had gotten you. So I sold it."

Seita was listening very closely to the story, wondering whether Gintoki was actually going to give him something or not. "And did you win?" he asked.

"I don't think you need to hear what happened after that," said Gintoki, looking a little embarrassed.

"…You lost, didn't you?" Seita asked.

"Whether I won or lost all the money isn't important," he said. "The important thing is that I was able to show up at your party and entertain you. So be grateful, you little brat."

"Ok, I guess?" said Seita, not really sure what Gintoki was getting at. All he knew was that Gintoki had failed to get him anything. Although, he was not that surprised to hear that. He was dealing with Gintoki after all.

Tsukuyo was still thinking about what Gintoki had just said. _Is that story true?_ She decided to lean over to Kagura and ask her something. "Kagura, did Gintoki have a present for Seita with him when he came here today?"

Kagura was also looking at Gintoki, thinking about the story herself. "Yeah, he did," she replied. "I'm trying to figure out when he sold it and went gambling though."

Tsukuyo stared at Kagura with a look of confusion. _Don't tell me she actually believed that story _she thought. _Anyway, she says Gintoki had a present with him when he came here today. He was here at the house with me all day, so I know his story can't be true. And now, he doesn't have a gift to give, but there is one from me. It was him. It had to be. He gave Seita his present under my name _she finally figured out.

Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki again. He was just standing there picking his nose without a care in the world. Tsukuyo didn't know what to think. She was still a little confused as to what happened. _Why would he do that? He's been an asshole to me all day, why would he help me out now?_

She wanted to talk to him, but she didn't think right then was a good time. She wanted to get him alone with her and ask him why he had helped her out. Tsukuyo kept staring at Gintoki, waiting for him to notice her. She wanted to give him a signal that she wanted to talk, but for some reason it seemed like Gintoki was trying to avoid looking at her.

_What the hell is he doing? Is he ignoring me?_ She kept looking at him, only to confirm her suspicions. It definitely seemed like he was trying to look anywhere but Tsukuyo's direction. _He is ignoring me. Why is he doing that? Whatever, I'll just go up and ask him to talk. He won't be able to ignore me then._

However, before she could follow through with her plan, it seemed like the birthday party was moving on. Seita was trying to round up everyone to play games with him, meaning she would have to put her plan on hold for now.

Tsukuyo looked back at Gintoki one more time. _I have to get him alone _she thought._ Before the night is over I will get him alone and talk to him. _With her goal in mind, she decided to go along with the party and wait for her opportunity.

* * *

**Gintoki: Well, now that the chapter is over, let's discuss some things.**

**Author: Like what?**

**Gintoki: Let's discuss all the ideas you stole from other authors and their stories.**

**Author: What? I never stole anything. I came up with this story all by myself.**

**Gintoki: That's a lie. You stole.**

**Author: No I didn't! Honest!**

**Gintoki: Really? How about the idea of a birthday party? You certainly stole that idea.**

**Author: Who did I steal that from? (Not that I stole.)**

**Gintoki: You stole it from 'Promises Should Always Be Fulfilled' by DanTE1203.**

**Author: Ok, so that story has a birthday party in it. That doesn't mean I stole the idea. Besides, the birthday party in that story is thrown for Tsukuyo, not Seita.**

**Gintoki: Is that so…**

**Author: Yes, I came up with it on my own. That's the truth.**

**Gintoki: Fine, what about this segment?**

**Author: Huh?**

**Gintoki: This segment where you and I and talk after the chapter. You stole it from 'kunai and samurai' by Jette666.**

**Author: I'm pretty sure the readers have no idea who these people are…**

**Gintoki: So you did steal it.**

**Author: Of course not! A lot of Gintama fanfics involve the author and characters interacting. It's a classic trait of Gintama.**

**Gintoki: Ok, but this segment is exactly like that one though…**

**Author: Ok, so maybe that one influenced me, but that doesn't mean I stole the idea, right?**

**Gintoki: I'm not entirely convinced.**

**Author: Besides, both of those stories are over anyway so it's ok to steal ideas from them.**

**Gintoki: Say what!? He just said it! He just said he stole from them!**

**Author: Once again, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!**


	3. Book 1 - Chapter 3

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 3

A few hours had passed since Seita had opened his birthday presents and it seemed like everyone was tired. It was starting to get late, and it appeared that the party members were starting to nod off, one by one. First Kagura fell asleep, then a little while later Hinowa, soon followed by Shinpachi and Seita respectively.

On the contrary, Tsukuyo felt wide-awake. She had spent the last few hours waiting for an opportunity to get Gintoki alone to talk, but to no avail. The last few hours had been spent playing games with the birthday boy non-stop while she waited for her opportunity. After a while, Gintoki just disappeared, saying something about getting some fresh air. That had been a short while ago, before everyone else fell asleep.

Tsukuyo looked at all the sleeping people in the room with her and she smiled. _It looks like they all had a long day _she thought to herself. She decided to walk out of the room into a hallway and then down to a closet. When she came back, she was carrying several light blankets in her arms. She carefully placed one on each of the silent sleepers, doing her best to not wake them up.

When Tsukuyo was finished, she looked at them all again. _They all look comfortable now _she thought. She felt content just to stand there and watch them all sleep, but she decided that now was the best time to make her move.

_Now that everyone's asleep, it will be easy to get Gintoki alone. I just need to find him._ And with that, Tsukuyo left the living room and went searching for the silver-haired samurai.

* * *

After looking around for a little while, Tsukuyo found Gintoki. He was upstairs outside on the veranda. He was leaning on the railing, looking up at the moon. The moon was large and full, bringing a fairly bright light down on to Yoshiwara.

Tsukuyo walked out on to the veranda and started approaching him. "There you are, Gintoki," she said.

He looked behind him and noticed that she was there. "Oh, it's you," he said, turning his head back around.

Tsukuyo stopped a short ways behind him. _Is he still ignoring me? _she wondered. _I don't have time for this; I need to talk to him. _Tsukuyo wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to say, but she knew that she wanted to talk to him. _I want to find out why he helped me, but then what? Will I thank him? Should I thank him? Does he deserve it even though he's been an ass all day?_

She decided to take a breath and calm down. _I'll figure all that out later. For now I should just focus on getting him to talk to me. _"What are you doing out here, Gintoki?" she asked.

He replied without looking at her. "I'm just enjoying the springtime weather. I didn't get a chance since I've been inside all day." He seemed really calm and at peace, truly happy just to be outside.

"Was the party too much for you?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted a break is all," he said plainly.

A moment of silence fell between the two, but then Gintoki spoke up again. "What are you doing out here?" he asked. "I thought you didn't want to see me."

Tsukuyo sighed. _I did say that, didn't I? _"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean it, I was just upset."

"Upset with who?" he asked, still watching the moon.

"I was upset with you…and with myself," she admitted. She paused a moment waiting to see if he would say anything, but he just kept silent. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "May I join you out here?"

"Well, if you're truly sorry, I guess I can allow it," he said with a smile. He looked back at her and tapped on the railing next to him, indicating that Tsukuyo should come stand next to him.

_It looks like he's forgiven me _she thought. She walked over to where Gintoki had indicated and joined him on the railing.

"Is the party still going on?" he asked.

"Not really, everyone else fell asleep," she replied.

"I see."

Another moment of silence fell between them. "Gintoki," she began, "can we talk about what happened tonight?" She looked over at him, waiting for his reply.

"What do you mean?" he asked without looking at her.

"Can we talk about how you gave Seita a present saying it was from me?" she said, revealing that she had figured out the truth.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted, still not looking at her. "You must have had a present for him the whole time and had just forgotten about it," he said simply.

Tsukuyo was starting to get angry with him. "Cut the crap, Gintoki. I know what you did. Just admit it."

Gintoki sighed and finally looked at her. "Fine, it's true. I made it look like my present was from you," he confessed. "Happy now?" he asked.

Tsukuyo could see that she was making progress with him. "Why did you do that?" she asked nicely.

"There were a couple of reasons," he said, looking at the moon again. "No doubt that if I hadn't done that, you would have sulked about it all night long."

"That's not true," she said, trying to defend herself. However, despite what she said, Tsukuyo agreed that what Gintoki predicted would probably have been the case.

"I also figured that the gift would mean a lot more coming from you then it would from me," he said plainly. "Seita doesn't care that I didn't get him anything. He's just happy his older sister got him something."

Tsukuyo didn't know what to say. _Since when did he care about our happiness? _she wondered. _Isn't this the same selfish bastard that's been an asshole to me all day? He's starting to act all sweet again._

Before Tsukuyo could figure out what to say, Gintoki added another comment that surprised her. "I don't know, I guess I just couldn't stand to see a woman's tears," he said.

Tsukuyo looked at him, shocked at what she had just heard. "What are you talking about?" she asked slowly, scared to hear what his answer would be.

"I saw you crying earlier. I felt bad for you," he explained.

"I-I wasn't crying earlier," she stuttered, trying to hide the truth.

"Yes you were, I saw a tear in your eye," said Gintoki empathetically.

"I wasn't crying," she repeated. It was true that earlier, a couple of tears might have formed in her eye, but she didn't want Gintoki to know that. It was embarrassing for her. She liked to think that she was tough and that nothing would push her to tears. Tsukuyo felt that if Gintoki saw her crying, he would think of her as weak. She didn't want him thinking that; she felt that he would only make fun of her.

"It's okay to admit it, you know?" he said seriously as if he knew what she was thinking. He was now looking right at her. "Crying isn't a sign of weakness, it shows that you care deeply about something. I could definitely tell that you care a lot about Seita. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Tsukuyo listened to his words, and they made her feel better. _It's like he knows what I'm thinking _she thought. _What he says makes sense though. It is true that I care about Seita and what he thinks of me. I was dreading disappointing him tonight, but Gintoki saved me by giving up his own gift. That was truly kind of him. I guess he really does have a heart._

Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki. "Thank you," she said. "Truly, thank you, Gintoki."

"For what?" he asked, pretending like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"For what you did tonight," she explained patiently. "For giving up your present, for making me feel better. Thank you."

Gintoki smiled at her. "Don't worry about it," he said, as if it was no big deal.

The two stood in silence for a brief moment.

"Where did you get it anyway?" asked Tsukuyo. "The gift, I mean."

"Oh, that?" said Gintoki. "I paid Gengai to build something for him. That robot was what he came up with."

"What do I owe you?" asked Tsukuyo, wanting to pay him for it since he had given it to her.

"Huh?" he said. "You don't owe me anything. Consider it a gift from me to you."

"I can't do that, Gintoki. That wouldn't be fair to you."

"Trust me," he said. "Even if I hadn't wanted to give my present up for you, I couldn't have done it. I felt so bad that I couldn't have done anything but help you out. It's my own fault for being such an idiot. Don't worry about it."

Tsukuyo looked at him with a frown. "Don't think that you can do something like this and expect me to do nothing in return. I truly appreciate what you did for me, Gintoki. Now let me repay you for it."

Gintoki looked at her and realized she was serious. He knew that she wouldn't let it go unless he let her do something for him. "Fine, if you really want to do something for me, then buy me a parfait."

"A parfait?" asked Tsukuyo, a little confused.

"Yes, I would be truly happy if you took me out and bought me a parfait."

Tsukuyo smiled to herself. _Is that all it takes to make him happy? He's so simple sometimes. _"Alright," she agreed. "I promise to buy you a parfait, whenever you like."

Gintoki smiled back at her, before looking at the moon again. "I would really appreciate it," he said.

* * *

A few minutes passed in silence between the two. They were both staring up at the full moon, entranced by its beauty. They didn't mind standing next to each other in silence. They were simply happy to enjoy each other's company.

_It's a beautiful sight _thought Gintoki, looking at the large moon. He looked over at Tsukuyo to see her also looking at the moon. She had a smile on her face, showing that she was enjoying the sight too.

Gintoki continued looking at her, suddenly entranced by a new moon that had come into his vision. _She looks kind of cute when she's smiling _he thought to himself.

He suddenly paused. _Did I really just think that she's cute? I've never thought that about her before, have I? Why am I thinking these things now?_ He tried to look away from her, but he couldn't. He was entranced.

_I want to look away _he thought._ But at the same time, I just want to keep staring at her. I…I like it when she smiles. _At that moment, he stopped trying to look away and just gave in to his feelings. He felt content, just watching Tsukuyo smile.

Suddenly, Tsukuyo noticed that Gintoki was staring at her and she looked over at him. "Why are you staring at me?" she asked, wondering what he was up to.

Gintoki didn't choose the words that he said next. They just came out of his mouth, as if it were the right thing to say. He said them calmly and cool.

"Is it wrong to stare at a pretty woman?" he asked.

Tsukuyo immediately blushed upon hearing this. _He thinks I'm pretty? _she thought to herself.

Her heart soon started beating hard inside her chest. Tsukuyo had always had some feelings for Gintoki, but she had never voiced them out loud to him. She had never thought that he might actually like her too. He had never said anything that would make her think that. That was, until now.

All of these thoughts just made her nervous to be in front of him. It didn't help that she was already blushing. _He's being so calm about it. What should I say? I don't want to screw this up._

Tsukuyo took her eyes off of Gintoki; she couldn't stand to see him staring at her any longer. It just made her more nervous. "Um, thank you, Gintoki," she began. "Nobody ever complements me like that."

"I'll bet people would, if you weren't so closed off to everyone you know," he said seriously.

Tsukuyo looked back at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You always keep your feelings to yourself, you never let anyone know what's going on with you," said Gintoki. "You even did it tonight. You tried to hide how badly you felt and told us to not worry about helping you."

Tsukuyo thought about his words, and realized they were true. "Well, what's wrong with that?" she asked. "I don't need other people worrying themselves over me. I can take care of myself. I don't want to trouble someone else with my problems. You're the same way, Gintoki," she pointed out.

"No I'm not," he said, a little embarrassed to be accused of the same thing he had accused her of.

"Yes, you like to shoulder the burden alone and resolve things without involving your friends," said Tsukuyo. She was right. Gintoki had always tried to keep the people he cared about out of danger if he felt he could deal with it alone. That was just how he did things, and Tsukuyo was the same way.

"Yeah right, what do I care what happens to those idiots?" he said, trying to convince Tsukuyo that she was wrong.

"I think you care more than you let people know," she said. She gave him a smile to show that she liked that he cared about his friends. "It's kind of sweet," she said.

To Tsukuyo's surprise, Gintoki looked away from her and started blushing. He was embarrassed that she knew him so well, despite the fact that he tried to hide his feelings from his friends. "Whatever," he said. "All I'm saying is that if you weren't so closed off to people, you could probably get yourself a man."

Tsukuyo's smile disappeared. "Get myself a man?" she repeated slowly, a little agitated at Gintoki. "What makes you think I want a man?" she asked with clenched teeth.

Gintoki looked back at Tsukuyo, happy that he able to get the focus of the conversation off of himself and onto her. _She's kind of cute when she's angry too. Maybe I should make her angrier _he thought with a smile.

"Well, you are from Yoshiwara," he said. "You probably can't wait to jump into bed with every man you see."

"SHUT UP!" screamed Tsukuyo. She instinctively threw another kunai at Gintoki's head to show him how angry she was.

However, unlike the previous kunai she had thrown, this one did not reach its target. Gintoki held the weapon in between two of his fingers. He had caught it before it had a chance to enter his forehead.

"Sheesh, calm down," he said nonchalantly. "It was only a joke. If you put any more of these in my head, I'm going to get a giant scar." He was now swinging the kunai around his finger as if he didn't care that it almost injured him a second ago.

Tsukuyo was still steaming, but she didn't know how to respond. _'If you don't want me throwing kunai in your head then shut up' _was what she wanted to say. However, she refrained from saying that and decided on something even better to say. Something that would embarrass him as much as he embarrassed her.

"Well, you could probably get yourself a woman if you weren't such an ass!" she shouted.

Gintoki stopped spinning his kunai and looked at Tsukuyo with a smile on his face. "Is that really what you think?" he asked. He was now looking her right in the eye.

Tsukuyo looked away. She couldn't stand it when their eyes met. For some reason, it made her nervous. _Damn it, why is he smiling? That comment was supposed to piss him off, yet he's acting so cool about it. Even though I'm trying to upset him, he just plays it off like it's nothing._

Tsukuyo didn't really know what to say at that point, so she just decided to keep silent. She looked over at Gintoki to see that he was no longer looking at her, but once again at the moon. They stood in silence for a little while longer until Gintoki finally spoke up.

"Well, it's starting to get late," he said. "We should probably head home."

"I guess you're right," she agreed. Tsukuyo didn't really want him to leave, but she couldn't think of anything that she wanted to say to him at that moment. She figured it was probably best to say farewell for the night.

Gintoki walked back inside the house with Tsukuyo following behind.

* * *

Gintoki and Tsukuyo walked into the living room to find that everyone was still asleep.

Gintoki started clapping his hands together. "Alright, wake up you two," he called out. "We have work to do in the morning so we need to head out."

Shinpachi, Kagura, and Hinowa all slowly woke up and realized what was going on. They were all yawning and rubbing their eyes, trying to help themselves wake up a little bit more. Seita was still passed out on the floor, too tired to even notice the commotion.

"Gin-chan, will you carry me home?" asked Kagura with a big yawn. "I'm too tired to walk."

"Yeah right, I'm tired too," he said. "I'm not carrying you all the way back the surface and then some." Even though Gintoki honestly wasn't that tired, he was just too lazy to give in to Kagura's request.

"Thank you for inviting us, Hinowa," said Shinpachi, trying to be polite. "Tell Seita that we all wish him a happy birthday."

Hinowa smiled at the group. "Of course," she said. "Thank you all for coming and helping. Before you go, let me get you your pay."

"No, don't worry about it," said Gintoki. He currently had a drowsy Kagura holding on to his arm, trying to stay standing up and awake. "It's best if we go home now before it gets any later. Just give us the pay the next time you see us." He started making his way to the front, dragging Kagura along with him.

"Well, if you're sure," she said. "You all have a good night, ok? Tsukuyo, why don't you show them the way out?" she asked, looking at Tsukuyo.

"They already know the way out," she said simply.

"Yes, but it looks like Gin-san could use a little help," she insisted, pointing at the barely-awake girl attached to his arm.

"Fine," Tsukuyo agreed.

She helped them out into the front where she assisted in putting Kagura's shoes back on her feet. When Gintoki and Shinpachi had their own shoes on, Tsukuyo opened the door for them so they could walk out. Shinpachi went out on his way, but Gintoki stopped at the doorway, Kagura still clinging to him.

He looked over at Tsukuyo and said, "I'll be here on Tuesday, around 5:00."

"What?" she asked, a little confused.

"That's when I want my parfait. Tuesday around 5:00," he explained. "Will that work for you?" he asked.

Tsukuyo didn't even have to think about it. Being the leader of Yoshiwara's police force, she was free to work or take off whenever she wanted. "That will be fine," she told him.

He smiled, happy to hear that she had accepted his proposal. "Good, I'll see you then," he said.

With that, he walked out the door with Kagura's feet dragging behind. Tsukuyo stood in the doorway, watching Gintoki try to catch up to Shinpachi. After walking a short distance, she noticed that he stopped. He made Kagura release her grasp on him, and then he slowly picked her up. He then continued walking, carrying the sleeping girl in his arms.

Tsukuyo smiled upon seeing this. _He does care more than he lets people know _she thought. _He's not so bad. He's just a sweet guy who is an ass every once in a while._ She then walked back inside and closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, down the street, Gintoki was deep in thought as he walked along with Kagura in his arms. He was thinking about what he had done for Tsukuyo that night, and what he had said earlier on the veranda.

_I think that she's cute, and I enjoy being around her _he thought. _Maybe it's possible…that I actually like her._

Gintoki continued to think about this as he walked on in silence through the streets. He didn't stop thinking about it until he was at home in bed and asleep.

* * *

**Author: Well, what should we talk about today, Gintoki?**

**Gintoki: Let's talk about the title of the story: "Silver Moon".**

**Author: Ok. What's wrong with the title?**

**Gintoki: Why do you assume something's wrong with it?**

**Author: Well, you always seem to criticize the story in this segment, so I assume that since you want to talk about the title there is something wrong with it.**

**Gintoki: You're right. The title sucks.**

**Author: I knew it…**

**Gintoki: First off, why "Silver Moon"? What does that even mean? Is the moon even silver in this story?**

**Author: Well, no. I got the word 'Silver' from 'Gin' and the word 'Moon' from 'Tsukuyo'. It's like I put your names together to get the title. I think it's a pretty good title too.**

**Gintoki: Yeah, it was a good title for this awful chapter. It seems like all we did was stare at the freaking moon.**

**Author: …There was nothing better to look at…**

**Gintoki: Anyway, the readers will probably be misled by the title.**

**Author: I doubt they're expecting an actual silver moon.**

**Gintoki: No, I'm saying they'll think that this story is about a series other than Gintama. It sounds awfully similar to "Sailor Moon".**

**Author: Um…yeah, I guess so…**

**Gintoki: It also sounds like "Silver Spoon".**

**Author: Well, I've never even seen/read those series before anyway so I can't be blamed. Besides, it should be obvious that this is a Gintama story.**

**Gintoki: The worst-case scenario is that the readers will think it's a crossover between "Sailor Moon" and "Silver Spoon".**

**Author: The only thing crossing over in this story is yours and Tsukuyo's feelings for each other.**

**Gintoki: I'd rather read the crossover…**

**Author: Whatever, I'm done talking to you. Feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!**


	4. Book 1 - Chapter 4

**Well, this chapter ended up being longer than I originally intended. You guys don't mind, right? XD Here's chapter 4!**

Silver Moon - Book 1 Chapter 4

It had been a few days since the night of the birthday party. The sky was clear and the sun was bright. The citizens of Yoshiwara were once again walking around the streets, enjoying the warm weather as much as they could.

Over at Hinowa's house, Tsukuyo stood on the veranda. She was looking up at the blue sky, thinking back on what had happened the other night. She remembered how she and Gintoki had stood next to each other in that exact spot, enjoying each other's company. She remembered what they had said to each other, how they had understood each other. She remembered how he had called her pretty.

Tsukuyo immediately stopped thinking about it and shook her head. _Damn it, why can't I stop thinking about what happened the other night? Why can't I stop thinking about him? _she wondered.

This had been the issue that had been stressing Tsukuyo out the past few days. For some reason, she couldn't keep herself from thinking about Gintoki. She just kept thinking back to the time they had spent together that night. It was starting to get distracting, especially when she was working and trying to stay focused. It also filled Tsukuyo with a sense of nervousness and unease when she thought about him. It made her feel like she was with Gintoki again; as if he was staring into her eyes like he had that night.

It didn't help that in about an hour, Gintoki would be showing up at her door expecting her to buy him a parfait. It was Tuesday, the day they had both agreed on. It was only a matter of time until he showed up.

Tsukuyo put her head in her hands, trying to clear her thoughts. _It won't be long before he's here _she thought. _If I feel this nervous now I can only imagine what it will be like when I'm actually alone with him. _These thoughts only made Tsukuyo worry more.

"Tsukuyo, are you all right?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned around to see that Hinowa was sitting in her wheelchair in the doorway. She was looking at Tsukuyo with a look of concern.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Tsukuyo. She didn't want Hinowa worrying about her. However, it seemed like she knew better than to believe Tsukuyo.

Hinowa began wheeling herself out on to the veranda to join her. "You seem a little upset, is something wrong?" she asked with care in her voice.

Tsukuyo still wouldn't give in. "Everything's fine," she said simply, trying to hide her anxiety.

Hinowa looked at Tsukuyo with a frown. "Come now, I know something's bothering you. Just tell me what it is so I can help you," she said kindly.

Tsukuyo looked down and sighed. _She can always tell when something's wrong _she thought. She decided it was pointless to continue hiding the truth from Hinowa. "Ok, I'm just a little nervous about tonight," she admitted.

"Tonight?" asked Hinowa with a confused look on her face. After looking at Tsukuyo for a second, she suddenly remembered. "Oh, that's right," she said. "Gin-san is coming over tonight, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's coming over so I can take him out and buy him a parfait," explained Tsukuyo. She had previously told Hinowa the story of what happened that night and how she had come to be in her current situation. She had left out certain parts of the story, specifically the part that had made her blush.

"Is that why you seem so distressed? Because you're going to be alone with Gin-san?" asked Hinowa, hitting the nail on the head.

"Yes," Tsukuyo confessed. "For some reason, that idiot is all I can think about lately. I don't know why, but I can't help it. He just keeps popping into my head. He's like a disease," she explained.

"A disease you seem to enjoy thinking about," said Hinowa with a smile. "It seems to me that you like Gin-san."

That comment immediately put Tsukuyo on the defensive. "What makes you think I like that idiot!?" she asked.

Hinowa just laughed to herself. "Relax," she said, "I was only teasing you." She paused for a moment to let Tsukuyo calm down a little bit. "Besides, what's wrong with you liking him anyway?"

"He's a selfish bastard that enjoys pissing me off," said Tsukuyo, basically summing up everything she didn't like about Gintoki in one sentence.

"Come now, he doesn't upset you that much does he?" asked Hinowa. She didn't think of Gintoki as a bad guy so she was trying to defend him.

"More than you think," said Tsukuyo, thinking back on the countless kunai she had thrown in his head because of something irritating he had said or done.

"Well, you shouldn't feel worried about being nervous," said Hinowa, trying to help Tsukuyo feel better.

Tsukuyo looked at her with a look of doubt. "I shouldn't?" she asked.

"Of course not," Hinowa replied. "It's normal to be a little nervous on your first date," she said with a smile.

Tsukuyo immediately froze and her mouth fell open in shock. "Y-y-you think it's a d-date?" she managed to stutter.

Hinowa looked at Tsukuyo, who seemed to be getting even more worried. "You mean it's not?" she asked.

"Of course not! Why would you think that?" asked Tsukuyo, still freaking out.

"Well," she began, looking out at the city. "He's coming here to pick you up right? And then you are both going out to eat together? It sounds exactly like a date."

"No that's not it!" shouted Tsukuyo. "There's no way that it's a date!"

"How do you know for sure?" asked Hinowa, looking at Tsukuyo with a look of doubt.

"That idiot would have told me so," she said, hoping that that was the case. She was starting to get worried that Hinowa might actually be right, that Gintoki was actually coming over for her instead of a parfait.

"Maybe he's trying to be secret about it. It might be his way of being romantic," Hinowa pointed out.

"What does that idiot know about romance?" Tsukuyo shouted. She tried to take a moment to calm down and think about the situation. She figured that the more she freaked out, the more Hinowa would push the idea of them being on a date. She looked over at Hinowa and decided to calmly put an end to it. "Look, it's not like that ok?"

Hinowa realized that Tsukuyo wasn't going to give in to her claims and decided to just let it go. "Just promise me you'll have fun tonight, and try not to be so nervous, ok?" she said with a smile.

"I'll try," said Tsukuyo dismally. _How am I not supposed to be nervous now? Now that you went and put the thought of us being on a date together in my head._

Hinowa wheeled herself back into the house, leaving Tsukuyo alone to think about what she had just said. She was desperately trying to convince herself that what Hinowa had just said was not the case.

_It's not a date _she thought. _It can't be a date. He would have told me if that was the case. He said he wanted a parfait, not a date. He wouldn't be secret about it, right? He's not trying to be romantic, right? It's not a date, RIGHT?_

Tsukuyo once again held her head in her hands. She didn't know what to think. Hinowa's comments had just made her feel even more nervous than she had been previously. _I don't want to believe her, but what if it's true? What if it actually is a date?_ she questioned herself.

Tsukuyo decided to just calm down and figure it out later. It wouldn't help to worry about it now. She decided to go and get ready before the silver-haired samurai showed up at her door.

* * *

About an hour later, someone was knocking on the front door of the house. Tsukuyo went to open the door and found Gintoki standing there, picking his nose like he always did.

"Hey. I'm here for my parfait," he said casually. "You remembered right?"

Tsukuyo was looking at him, trying to figure out what his intentions were. She decided to just go with the flow for the time being in order to figure out if they were on a date together.

"Yes, I remembered," she said. "I'm ready to leave when you are."

"Great, let's get going," he said, walking away from the door. "I've been waiting for this all day."

Tsukuyo walked out the door and began walking after him. "Hold on a second, Gintoki," she said.

He stopped walking and looked back at her. "What's the hold up?" he asked.

Tsukuyo reached into her sleeve and pulled out an envelope. She held it out for Gintoki to take. "Hinowa asked me to give this to you," she explained. "It's your pay for helping the other day."

At the mention of the word 'pay', Gintoki's face immediately lit up. "Thank you very much," he said as he grabbed the envelope with a smile.

Tsukuyo could tell he was already planning on how he was going to spend it. "Shinpachi and Kagura's shares are in there too. Make sure you give it to them before you go blow it all away."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll make sure they get it," he said, trying to get Tsukuyo to stop scolding him. "Anyway, let's hurry up get going already."

Gintoki walked around the corner of the house for an instant before reappearing. When he came back he was surprisingly dragging his trademark scooter along the ground.

Tsukuyo stared at the scooter in shock. "What the hell?" she asked. "You brought your scooter down here?"

"Yeah," he said simply. "I figured it'd be more fun to ride than to walk everywhere down here."

"How did you even get it into Yoshiwara?" she asked, still in shock.

"I brought it with me on the elevator."

"You can't do that! That elevator is for people only, it's against the rules," said Tsukuyo.

"So what?" asked Gintoki, clearly not concerned that he had broke the law of Yoshiwara. "You're not going to arrest me over something like this, are you?"

Tsukuyo sighed to herself. "I'll let it slide this one time since I owe you a favor but don't do it anymore from now on. I can't let you go around breaking the rules just because we're friends. You have to follow them just like everyone else. Understand?" she asked, staring at him with a serious look.

"Calm down," he said innocently. "I was just trying to have a little fun. You don't have to be so hard on me."

Tsukuyo was starting to get annoyed at his act of innocence. She pulled out a kunai to let Gintoki know just how serious she was. "Understand?" she asked with anger in her voice.

Gintoki knew that she wasn't going to let him off easy on this one. "Fine, I won't do it anymore," he said.

Tsukuyo seemed content with his answer. "Good," she said as she put her kunai away.

"Anyway, let's hit the road," said Gintoki. He grabbed the helmet that was sitting on the seat and held it out for Tsukuyo. "Here, put this on," he said.

Tsukuyo gave it a weird look. "What do I need that for?"

"It will protect your head if something goes wrong," he said. "Accidents can happen, you know."

"Why aren't you wearing one?"

"This is my only one. I want you to wear it."

Tsukuyo crossed her arms, refusing to accept it. "I don't need it if you don't need it" she said.

Gintoki wasn't taking no for an answer. He went ahead and put the helmet on her head without permission. "Don't talk crazy," he said. He was now looking at Tsukuyo in the eyes again. "If something were to happen to you, how could I forgive myself?" he asked.

Tsukuyo looked away; she couldn't stand it when he looked her in the eyes. _He's making it sound like he cares about me a lot _she thought. _He's being sweet again._

Tsukuyo looked back up at Gintoki. "Fine, I'll wear it if it will make you happy," she told him.

Gintoki smiled when he heard this. He sat down on his scooter and started it up. "Hop on," he said.

Tsukuyo slowly climbed onto the seat behind him. She had never rode on something like this before, so she didn't really know what to expect.

"Hold on to me," Gintoki instructed.

Tsukuyo was reluctant to comply with his request. She didn't really want to grab on to him; it would only make her feel more nervous than she already was. "Do I have to?" she asked.

"Would you rather fall off?" he replied.

Tsukuyo realized that this was the proper way to ride with two people and decided to give in. _Damn it, why'd he have to bring his scooter with him? I would have been fine with walking. _She slowly reached her arms out and wrapped them gently around Gintoki's waist. It felt awkward, touching him in such a way.

"Hold on tight," Gintoki instructed. And with that, the scooter shot off down the street, carrying its two passengers into an unforgettable night.

* * *

A short while later, Gintoki and Tsukuyo were sitting across from each other in a local diner. Gintoki was looking over the menu, trying to decide exactly what he wanted.

Tsukuyo just sat in silence as she watched him going over every desert the place offered. She was still trying to shake the thought that they could possibly be on a date. _This isn't what a date is like is it? _she wondered. _I've never been on one before, so I'm not really sure. Although, it seems like Gintoki is focusing more on desert than me. If it were a date, I would be what he is focusing on, right?_

Tsukuyo's thoughts were interrupted as Gintoki spoke up. "Hey Tsukuyo, can I get a sundae instead of a parfait? They look really good here." He put down his menu in order to look at her.

"Get whatever you like," she said.

"Why aren't you looking at the menu?" he asked her. "Do you already know what you want?"

"No, I'm not getting anything," she said. "I'm not hungry. Besides, I'm only here to buy you a treat anyway."

Gintoki looked at Tsukuyo with a frown. "You're going to make me eat alone?" he asked. "That's no fun. A meal is always more enjoyable when shared with a friend. How am I supposed to enjoy my desert with you just staring at me the whole time?"

Tsukuyo didn't know what to say to him. _So now he's paying attention to me? _she wondered. She just continued sitting there in silence staring at him.

Gintoki noticed that she wasn't going to respond to him, so he decided to solve the problem on his own. He called out to a waitress that was passing by. "Excuse me, we're ready to order over here!" he shouted. Several people in the diner looked over at their table to see what the commotion was.

Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki like he was crazy. "Gintoki, what are you doing?" she asked. She seemed to be embarrassed to be sitting at the same table with him.

The waitress came over with a pen and paper in her hand. "What can I do for you two?" she asked politely. She was looking at the both of them, ready to take their order.

"Bring us two hot fudge sundaes," said Gintoki, handing the waitress the menu. "That will be all, thanks."

The waitress quickly scribbled it down and smiled at the two of them before leaving. "I'll get that right away," she said kindly.

Tsukuyo watched the waitress walk away from the table. Once she was gone, Tsukuyo immediately looked back at Gintoki. "What the hell!?" she yelled at him.

Gintoki gave her a casual look. "What's up?" he asked.

"What the hell was that? I told you I didn't want anything!"

"And I didn't want to eat alone, so I solved our problem."

"No, you solved _your _problem. I don't want a sundae!"

"Relax," said Gintoki. "I'm just trying to help you have a good time. I'll pay for your sundae," he told her.

"You'll pay for it?" Tsukuyo asked in disbelief. She stared at Gintoki like he was talking crazy. _This stingy bastard is buying me something? Why the hell is he doing this? Don't tell me it's because we're on a date! _Tsukuyo began to worry again.

"Yeah, I'm willing to pay for it if it helps us have a good time together," said Gintoki casually. "Besides, I already ordered it so you have to eat it. Otherwise my feelings will be hurt."

_Who gives a damn about your feelings!? _she screamed in her head. _He's treating me to a sundae. I was supposed to come here to buy him a treat, but now he's buying stuff for me! That sounds an awful lot like a date! _She suddenly looked up to find Gintoki staring at her with worry.

"Are you all right?" he asked, a bit concerned. "You seem worried about something."

"I'm fine!" she said suddenly, trying to get his attention off of her.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Look, if it's about the sundae you don't have to-"

"It's fine!" Tsukuyo repeated. "I'll eat the stupid sundae so just shut up!"

"Um, ok?" said Gintoki, a little confused. He decided to just leave it alone for the time being.

Tsukuyo was relieved when he finally stopped looking at her and started staring out the window. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Nevertheless, she couldn't keep from stressing over her current situation. She just wanted the evening to be over so she could stop worrying about it and go home.

She glanced over at Gintoki one more time and thought to herself. _I don't know what game he's playing, but the sooner tonight is over, the better._

* * *

About a half hour later, Tsukuyo was standing with her arms crossed outside the diner. Gintoki was next to her, leaning against the side of the building with his hands supporting him. He seemed to be in pain.

"Uggggh it hurts," he moaned.

Tsukuyo simply looked at him. "You probably have a stomachache," she explained. "You shouldn't have downed your sundae so fast like that."

"I couldn't help myself, my sugar levels were so low…" he trailed off. It seemed like he was in pain again.

Tsukuyo looked away from Gintoki and closed her eyes. "This is what happens when you have a diet that's all sweets," she scolded him.

"Who are you? My mom?" he asked sarcastically.

Tsukuyo just looked at him from the corner of her eye. _Is that what he thinks of me? _She started to walk away from him. "Whatever," she said. "I bought you your treat, so now we're even. I'm going home."

"Wait!" Gintoki called after her. "You're not just going to leave me alone here are you? Surely not while I'm in pain?"

Tsukuyo stopped walking and looked back at him. "Just get on your scooter and come with me then," she said simply.

Gintoki managed to stand without the support of the building. He was still holding his stomach in his hands though. "Are you kidding?" he asked Tsukuyo. "That kind of motion would kill me."

Tsukuyo sighed. "Well, what do you want me to do?" she asked him. _Please don't tell me he wants me to be his personal nurse _she thought to herself.

Gintoki thought of an idea. "I think I'll be ok if I walk it off a little bit and get some rest," he said. He pointed to a public park that was near the diner. "There's a park over there, it should be perfect. You'll stay with me, right?" he asked, looking at her.

Tsukuyo started to worry again at the mention of Gintoki's idea. _He just won't let me go, will he? First we go out for a treat, now he wants us to walk in the park together? Don't tell me we're still on a date. Don't tell me it even is a date!_

Gintoki just watched her, waiting for her response. He decided to try and make her feel bad for him so she would stay. He put his hands together under his chin and looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. "Please Tsukky…" he said, using Kagura's nickname for Tsukuyo in order to help seal the deal.

Tsukuyo just looked at him out of pity and sighed. "You're pathetic, you know that?" She paused for a moment, and then said, "Fine, I'll stay with you until you feel better."

Gintoki looked pleased with himself upon hearing this. "Let's go then," he said, slowly making his way towards the park.

Tsukuyo followed after him, feeling stupid for giving in to the silver-haired idiot's request.

* * *

Once they were in the park, the two of them were slowly walking side by side. It was still light out, but the sun was slowly making its way toward the horizon. It would be dark in a few hours.

Tsukuyo looked at the sky and wondered how much longer Gintoki planned on keeping her there. _I don't know if I can stand this much longer. Being alone with him makes me feel uneasy. I don't even know if this is supposed to be a date. And honestly, I don't know how much longer I can take it._

Despite her thoughts, Tsukuyo just kept quiet as they walked. Gintoki wasn't saying anything either, possibly because of his stomach pain. They both just walked along in silence. Tsukuyo couldn't help but compare it to the time they spent in silence on the veranda the other night.

This continued for a few minutes until Gintoki interrupted. "Hey, can we rest for a few minutes?" he asked Tsukuyo. "I'm tired of walking."

"That's fine," she said, a little relieved that he had broken the quiet between them.

Gintoki gestured towards a nearby bench. They both walked over to it and sat down, only to have silence fall over them once again.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Tsukuyo, hoping to start some conversation.

"A bit," he said bluntly.

Tsukuyo looked over at him, to see him smiling at the sky. _He doesn't even look like he's in pain anymore _she thought. _Could it be that he's faking? Does he just want me to stay with him because he thinks we're on a date?_

Tsukuyo immediately stopped thinking and threw her head in her hands. _Damn it, I can't take this anymore! _she yelled in her thoughts. _I can't go one more second without knowing what the hell is going on right now. I'm done worrying over something that might not even be happening. I want answers. Now._

Tsukuyo quickly lifted her head out of her hands and looked at the samurai next to her. "Gintoki, I need to ask you something," she told him with seriousness in her voice.

Gintoki looked over at Tsukuyo. "What's up?" he asked.

"Is this-…are we-" she tried to say with a struggle. For some reason it was hard to get the words out.

Gintoki just looked at her with confusion, unsure of what she was trying to say. "Huh?" he said.

Tsukuyo took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She tried saying it once more. "Right now, are we…on a date?" she finally managed to say.

Gintoki just stared at her with a blank expression, giving almost no reaction to what Tsukuyo had just asked him. No words or sound came out of his mouth, but he managed to say one thing in his mind:

_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?_

* * *

**Author: Excuse me, Gintoki, can you please come into my office?**

**Gintoki: Huh? What are you talking about? You don't have an office.**

**Author: Well, just pretend like I have an office.**

**Gintoki: But you don't…**

**Author: …Just listen up, ok?**

**Gintoki: Ok…**

**Author: This isn't easy to say, but…I'm afraid we're going to have to let you go.**

**Gintoki: …Let me go where?**

**Author: Well, you know…**

**Gintoki: What are saying?**

**Author: Basically, you're fired.**

**Gintoki: What!? Why?**

**Author: Well, you see, the editors and I think it's best for the story if we cut you out of this segment.**

**Gintoki: Editors? Like hell you have editors!**

**Author: We think you talk too negatively about the story and point out too many of the mistakes I make to the reader.**

**Gintoki: Yeah right! Your mistakes are so obvious that the reader already knows about them. I just bring them up with you so you can answer for your awful writing!**

**Author: Well, either way, you're still fired.**

**Gintoki: Hold on a minute! If I'm not going to be in this segment, then who will be?**

**Author: I was thinking we could invite other characters from Gintama and let them have a try.**

**Gintoki: Those idiots? They won't be able to do this job like I can!**

**Author: That's what we're hoping for…**

**Gintoki: You know what? I'm not leaving! You can't make me!**

**Author: Security, please come escort Gintoki out of my office.**

**Gintoki: You don't have security! Or an office!**

**Author: Anyways, feel free to leave a comment letting me know which characters you guys want to see in this segment. I'll pick some myself, but I'm also taking requests. See you all next chapter!**


	5. Book 1 - Chapter 5

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 5

_Right now, are we…on a date?_

Gintoki's mind was racing, freaking out at the question Tsukuyo had just asked him. It had been so unexpected, so out of the blue. He wanted a minute to think of a proper response without letting Tsukuyo know what he was thinking. He was trying to keep his outward appearance normal, but unfortunately beads of sweat were starting to form on his face.

_Why would she ask that? _he wondered. _She doesn't really think that we're on a date right now, does she? Why the hell would she think that? I had not intended for tonight to be a date between us. Is that how she's perceiving it?_

He looked over at Tsukuyo to see that she was staring at the ground, apparently too embarrassed to look at Gintoki after asking her question. _I have to be careful about this situation _he thought. _Even though we're really not on a date right now, I can't just tell her we're not. She'll think I was toying with her emotions and I'll end up with a kunai in my head._

He took a second to try and calm down. _I better take it slowly. I'll dodge the question for now and ask her why she thinks we're on a date right now. I might be able to gently convince her that we're not on a date depending on what she says._

Gintoki looked at Tsukuyo and tried to keep cool as he asked his question. "Why do you think that?" he asked her.

Tsukuyo looked up from the ground and stared at Gintoki. "Well…" she began, "first you came and picked me up at my house. After that we went to a diner where you bought me a sundae. Then you asked if we'd take a walk through the park. And now, we're sitting alone together in the park…"

Gintoki just stared at her in silence as even more beads of sweat began forming on his face. _It sounds exactly like a date! _he screamed in his head. _Shit! I didn't intend for us to be on a date! I honestly just wanted a treat! A sundae or a parfait! I didn't want to go on a date with Tsukuyo! But now I've gone and done it. She has every reason to think that this is a date right now. What am I supposed to tell her? 'I didn't really want to spend time with you, I just wanted a free dessert'? She would kill me for sure!_

As all of this was going through Gintoki's head, Tsukuyo just continued staring at him, making him feel really nervous.

_Shit! She's expecting me to say something, but what? I have no answer for her. The truth is that we're not on a date, but I can't just say that. Maybe I should lie? _He thought about that idea for a moment before dismissing it. _No, I can't tell her that this was an actual date. I wasn't even thinking about her tonight, I was just trying to please myself. Nobody deserves that on an actual date._

Gintoki continued to struggle to find an answer that would make Tsukuyo content and leave him alive. However, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it. In the end, he couldn't think of anything to say to Tsukuyo. They just sat in silence until Tsukuyo slowly figured out the truth.

Tsukuyo looked down at the ground. "It's not a date, is it?" she asked him gently. "You just wanted a free dessert, right?"

Gintoki didn't know what to say. Tsukuyo had figured out the truth all on her own. His silence confirmed it. _Well, here it comes _he thought while flinching. He was preparing for dozens of kunai to begin tearing him into pieces.

However, to Gintoki's surprise, Tsukuyo didn't begin killing him. Instead, she just continued looking at the ground and sighed. "So that's how it was," she said. For some reason, Tsukuyo was somewhat let down to hear the truth. She was feeling stupid for even thinking that they had been on a date in the first place. "I guess I should have known."

Gintoki just looked at her in shock. _She's not angry? _he wondered._ No, it's something else. She seems kind of…disappointed._ Gintoki was starting to feel bad. He felt like he was responsible for making her believe that they were on a date.

Tsukuyo decided that she was done spending time with Gintoki for the night. "I'm going to go home now," she said dismally. She slowly got up and started to walk away from the park bench.

Gintoki just couldn't stand to see her leave in such a state. "Hold on," he said, getting up off the bench to follow her. "Why do you sound so disappointed?" he asked, still wondering why she didn't seem angry.

Tsukuyo stopped and answered without looking at him. "I guess…I was kind of entertained by the thought of us being on a date together."

Gintoki was confused at what she was saying. "You were? Why?" he asked.

Tsukuyo clenched her fists, but still wouldn't face Gintoki. "You really can't think of a reason why I would enjoy being on a date with you?" she asked him without emotion.

"Um…no?" Gintoki answered in confusion. He still didn't really know what she was trying to say. He was more confused than ever; he just wanted her to tell him why she seemed so hurt. "Why would you want to go out with me?" he asked.

Tsukuyo turned around to face him and answered without thinking. "Because I like you, you idiot!" she shouted.

"You…you do?" asked Gintoki, a little surprised to hear this. He had never heard her say anything like this before. He thought back about it for a second. There had been times when he had wondered if Tsukuyo might have had feelings for him, but he had never heard her voice them out loud like she was now.

Tsukuyo was a little surprised at what she had said too. Under normal circumstances, she would never have revealed her feelings to Gintoki, but right now she was too upset to care. In fact, she seemed to be getting angry, which made Gintoki worried.

Tsukuyo continued to yell at him without relent. "Of course I like you! I've always liked you! I don't know why I have feelings for a selfish bastard like you, but I do! Can't you tell that you idiot!?"

Gintoki wanted to get a word in to try and defend himself from Tsukuyo's attack, but she wouldn't stop. She just kept on yelling at him out of frustration.

"I thought that maybe you actually had asked me out on a date! I thought that maybe you had feelings for me too! I thought that I meant more to you than a freaking sundae!" she finished screaming.

Now Gintoki was starting to be annoyed by her accusations. "That's not true!" he shouted back, trying to get her to calm down and listen.

Tsukuyo, however, was still too upset to listen to anything Gintoki had to say. "Yeah right!" she shouted back. "An asshole like you doesn't care about me! Admit it, you just want me to buy you free desserts!"

Gintoki was starting to get seriously frustrated with Tsukuyo. He shouted back at her, "Did you ever think that maybe I didn't just want a sundae? That maybe I also wanted to spend time with you?"

Tsukuyo replied before Gintoki could get another word in. "Why the hell would you want to do that!?" she screamed.

"MAYBE ITS BECAUSE I LIKE YOU TOO!" Gintoki yelled at the top of his lungs.

The both of them immediately went silent upon hearing this. They were both shocked at what had just come out of Gintoki's mouth.

Tsukuyo looked at him and started blushing. "Gintoki, you…you like me?" she asked him slowly.

Gintoki was unable to answer. He was still surprised to hear what he had just said. _Did I really just say that out loud? _he thought. _I wasn't even thinking when I said it; it just came out naturally._

Tsukuyo just continued to stare at him, waiting for his reply. She could tell that he had surprised himself with his own comment. "Do you…really mean that, Gintoki?" she asked him gently.

Gintoki just continued standing there thinking. _Is it true? Do I really like her? _He thought about it for a moment before finally replying. In the end, the words just came to him. "It's true, Tsukuyo. I like you," he said sincerely. "I don't know why, but I like spending time with you. I like it when you're angry. I like it when you smile. I just like being around you. I think that you're a beautiful woman with a clean soul."

Tsukuyo just stood silent and blushed as Gintoki continued talking. Hearing all of these complements from Gintoki was making her feel weird. She felt strangely happy, but she also felt embarrassed at the same time.

Gintoki paused for a moment before finishing. "It's strange, but I'm happy when I'm with you. And if everything I just said is true, than yes, I think I like you."

Tsukuyo just looked at Gintoki, trying to take everything in. "I…I never knew…" she said. "I never knew that you felt that way about me, Gintoki."

Gintoki looked away, apparently a little embarrassed at everything he had just said. "Neither did I until just now actually," he told her somewhat jokingly.

A brief moment of silence fell between the two as they continued standing there. It was a short while before Tsukuyo spoke up. "So, now that our feelings are out in the open, what are we supposed to do?" she asked Gintoki.

Gintoki looked back at Tsukuyo and sighed to himself. He felt like he had the right answer to her question. "It would seem we are both plagued by these troublesome feelings," he told her. "I don't think we will get anywhere by ignoring them or by dealing with them alone. I think we need to confront them and see where it goes."

He paused for a moment before getting to the point. "In other words, I'm willing to take responsibility for my feelings if you are," he said with a smile. "Tsukuyo, would you like to go out with me?" he asked sincerely.

Tsukuyo couldn't help but stare in shock. She couldn't believe that he had actually just asked her out on a date. She knew it wasn't a mistake like it had been before. This time, Tsukuyo knew Gintoki was serious. She thought for a second about how she should answer him, but it seemed that she already knew the answer that would make her happiest.

Tsukuyo was a little scared to give Gintoki her answer, but she wasn't worried, not after hearing him confess his feelings for her. Tsukuyo returned Gintoki's smile with her own. "Yes, I think I would like that very much," she answered.

Gintoki looked happy to hear her answer. He felt relieved that she hadn't turned him down, despite how upset she had seemed earlier. "Well then," he said, "I guess that we're officially a couple."

"Yeah…" said Tsukuyo, hardly able to believe it. She was feeling happy, excited, and nervous all at the same time. She had just entered into her first relationship, and it was with the person she had feelings for the most. "So, what's next?" she asked, looking up at Gintoki.

"Next time, I promise I will take you on a real date. It won't be something like this," he said, indicating the time they had spent together that night. "My intentions will be clear," he told her.

Tsukuyo softly giggled at what he was saying. She found it funny that he wanted to make up for tonight. _He must feel really bad about misleading me _she thought.

Gintoki noticed her quietly laughing at him and felt embarrassed. "What's so funny?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

Tsukuyo continued to snicker at him; she couldn't help herself. "Nothing," she said, "it's just funny watching you feel bad about tonight."

Gintoki was getting upset now. "Look, if you're not going to take this seriously-"

"Calm down," said Tsukuyo with a slight frown. "I'm sorry for teasing you. I figured it would be okay since we're in a relationship now."

"Don't even try to make me feel bad for you again," said Gintoki, still agitated. "Listen, I feel bad about tonight, so I want to make it up to you by taking you on a real date. Will you accept that offer?" he asked, hoping he could just get an answer.

Tsukuyo decided to stop messing with Gintoki so he would calm down. "Nothing would make me happier," she finally answered him. "Just make sure it's for real this time, and no games!"

Gintoki smiled when he heard her answer. "You got it. We'll go on a real date next time," he assured her.

"I will hold you to that, then," said Tsukuyo.

Gintoki smiled once again before looking up at the sky. "It's a promise," he said.

* * *

A short while later, they were both riding on Gintoki's scooter back to Tsukuyo's house. They had both agreed that they should probably go home for the night. Once they had arrived at their destination, Tsukuyo dismounted and removed the helmet from her head. She handed it back to Gintoki, still thinking about the events that had taken place earlier.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later then," said Tsukuyo.

"Right," said Gintoki with a smile. "Listen, I'll call you up once I have plans for our date," he told her.

"Alright, I'll be waiting," she said.

Gintoki gave her one final smile before he rode off down the street. Tsukuyo watched him until he was out of sight. Once he was gone, she entered the house.

Tsukuyo walked into the living room to find Hinowa sitting there relaxing. "Oh, Tsukuyo, you're home," said Hinowa, greeting Tsukuyo with a smile. "Welcome back. How was the date with Gin-san?" she teased her.

Tsukuyo seemed to ignore her question and just walked across the living room towards the hallway. However, at the doorway, she stopped and looked back at Hinowa with a smile. "It definitely wasn't a date," she told her. She then turned back around and went into the hallway.

Tsukuyo made her way up to her room and closed the door behind her. She walked quietly over to the window and leaned out of it so she could see the night sky. The sun had just finished setting and the moon was slowly rising into the sky.

Tsukuyo smiled at the view, thinking about the fact that she now had a silver-haired boyfriend.

* * *

**Author: Hello everyone! I would like to introduce our first new guest to this segment, Tsukuyo!**

**Tsukuyo: Um…hello.**

**Author: Due to overwhelming demand from the readers, Tsukuyo was chosen to join us in this Author-Character conversation. Let's all make her feel welcome!**

**Tsukuyo: Um, excuse me? I wasn't requested for this segment by "overwhelming demand". I didn't even get one vote.**

**Author: What are you talking about? Dozens of people voted for you to be in this segment.**

**Tsukuyo: No they didn't. In fact, nobody voted at all.**

**Author: They don't need to know that…**

**Tsukuyo: I thought that they already knew. After all, nobody cares about this segment anyway.**

**Author: Tsukuyo, don't you remember that talk we had before this segment? Remember how I told you to only speak positively about the story?**

**Tsukuyo: Yes, but I can't help it. This story sucks.**

**Author: Not you too!**

**Tsukuyo: I mean, honestly, this has to be one of the worst stories I've ever read. No wonder nobody likes it.**

**Author: Grrr I'll have you know that all of the reviews for this story have been 100% positive. There has yet to be a single negative review!**

**Tsukuyo: That's because the majority of the readers stop reading without even finishing the first chapter. They don't even care enough to leave a review for this piece of crap.**

**Author: …I'm tempted to call you a b*tch but I feel like you would kill me.**

**Tsukuyo: Um, why did you censor the word 'bitch'? It's not like you haven't used it uncensored in the story before. Remember, you made Gintoki call me one? (-****Still angry about that).**

**Author: Oh, well you see, it makes me look like a better person to the reader. I don't want them to think I'm some jerk that curses all the time. I want them to think of me as a saint that would never call a lady something so vulgar!**

**Tsukuyo: If you want to talk about how much of an ass you are, I could tell the readers all about your personal life.**

**Author: …Give it up for Tsukuyo everybody! Give her a big round of applause because she's never going to be featured in this segment again!**

**Tsukuyo: Wait, wha-**

**Author: As always, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!**


	6. Book 1 - Chapter 6

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 6

It was morning the next day. Gintoki was sitting at his desk, thinking back on the events that had taken place the night before.

_It almost seems like a dream _he thought. _It feels weird, knowing that I'm in a relationship now…I mean, I feel happy, and I'm excited about it. It just feels weird. It's been so long since I've been in a relationship like this. Hell, it's been so long since I've even wanted a relationship like this._

Gintoki smiled to himself as he cleared his thoughts. _There's nothing to be scared of though. I doubt Tsukuyo is feeling any different than I am right now. _He continued thinking for a second before he became a little concerned. _No, I'm not worried about being in a relationship right now. However, there is something that I am worried about…_

As if on cue, the closet door across the room slowly slid open to reveal a very drowsy Kagura. She had just woken up and was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Gin-chan? Is that you?" she asked.

Gintoki just stared at her with a blank expression. _What I am worried about are these idiots finding out that I'm in a relationship…_he thought to himself.

Kagura went to sit on the couch as she let out a big yawn. "You're finally home," she said to Gintoki. "I fell asleep before you came back last night. Where were you anyway?"

Gintoki just kept silent. The original reason he hadn't told Shinpachi and Kagura where he was going was because he thought that they would want to tag along. He feared that if that had happened, Tsukuyo wouldn't have fulfilled her promise. He figured that she wouldn't be willing to take them all out and treat them to a dessert.

However, Gintoki now had a better reason to keep the truth from them. _If I let any of them find out that Tsukuyo and I are going out, it'll be horrible. Not only will I feel embarrassed, but also all of these idiots will go ballistic upon hearing the news. It's inevitable; they're always interfering with my personal life. This time will be no different. If anything, it could be worse than ever before!_

Gintoki tried to calm down and figure out how to deal with his current situation. _I'll have to keep it a secret for now. I know that they'll find out eventually…but the longer I can put it off, the better._

Kagura was looking at him, trying to get his attention. "Gin-chan? Are you even listening?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"Huh?" said Gintoki, snapping out of his thoughts.

"I asked you where you were last night," she repeated.

"Oh, right," said Gintoki, trying to sound normal. He didn't want Kagura finding out the truth. "It's none of your business," he told her simply, hoping she would just drop the subject.

Unfortunately for Gintoki, it did not work. Kagura was now even more curious. "You're acting weird. Are you trying to hide something?" she asked.

Gintoki became nervous upon hearing her question. "Of course not," he dismissed her.

"Then how's come you won't tell me where you went last night?" asked Kagura, continuing to question Gintoki further.

Gintoki put his hands down on his desk out of irritation. "Look, it's something I can't tell little kids like you about."

Kagura become angered when she heard that. "You can tell me! I'm not a little kid!" she yelled.

Gintoki just smiled at her. He knew how to get her distracted and she had just taken the bait. "Really?" he said. "If it's true that you're not a kid, then why are your boobs so small?"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Kagura, standing up out of anger.

Just then, the door across the room slid open and Shinpachi walked in. "What are you guys yelling about so early in the morning?" he asked the two in front of him.

Gintoki took the opportunity to try and change the subject before Shinpachi had a chance to become suspicious of him like Kagura had. "It's nothing important," he said, "We were just-"

"Gin-chan won't tell me where he went last night and he's pissing me off!" Kagura interrupted him.

"Oh, that's right," said Shinpachi, thinking back on the previous night's events. "You left without even letting us know that you were leaving. I ended up going home before you came back," he explained. "Where were you anyway?"

Gintoki just looked at him with a frown. _I can't catch a break, can I? _he thought. "Look, it's not important. I was just out taking care of some business," he said.

Shinpachi gave him a curious look. "You mean, like a job?" he asked.

Gintoki scratched the back of his head out of nervousness. "Well…not exactly."

"Hold on," said Kagura. "Are you trying to do jobs without us so you don't have to pay us!?" she shouted.

Shinpachi just looked at Gintoki in disappointment. "That's low Gin-san…"

Gintoki was waving his hands in front of him, trying to deny their claims. "Now hold on a minute!" he shouted. "You guys don't really think I would do something selfish like that do you?"

Shinpachi and Kagura just stared at him with shadows over their eyes. Their silence confirmed that they believed it.

"Look, it's not like that," said Gintoki. "Last night, I was just taking care of something personal. It's completely private and none of your business. And you can both stop asking because I'm not going to give in."

Shinpachi and Kagura both looked at each other and sighed.

"Fine," said Kagura.

"We'll leave it alone," said Shinpachi.

Gintoki smiled upon hearing this. "Good, I'm glad you understand," he told them. _I finally got them off my back _he thought with relief. "Anyway, there is something I need to give you," he said, producing a small bundle of cash in each hand. "Here's your pay from helping out with Seita's birthday party the other day."

Both of their faces lit up as they took the money from his outstretched arms.

"It's about time!" said Kagura, counting her small fortune.

"Yes, thank you, Gin-san," said Shinpachi. He also began counting his money when a thought struck him. _Wait a minute. When did he get this money from Hinowa? Did he go to Yoshiwara last night?_

Shinpachi thought about asking Gintoki his question, but decided not to out of politeness. After all, he had already told him that they would stop asking him about it.

"You're both welcome," said Gintoki. "Now please do me a favor and leave the room for a while," he said with a serious face.

"Huh? Why?" asked Shinpachi and Kagura in unison.

"I need to make a very important phone call and I can't have the two of you in here distracting me," he explained.

"Whatever," said Kagura, who was just happy that she had received her pay.

Shinpachi had a feeling that something suspicious was going on, but decided to comply with Gintoki's request for the time being. "Ok, we'll leave," he agreed.

Gintoki gave them both a look of gratitude. "Thank you," he said. "And close the door on your way out!"

They both walked out to the front room and closed the door behind them as Gintoki had asked.

Shinpachi couldn't help but still feel a little curious as to what Gintoki was up to. "I wonder who he's calling," he told Kagura. "If it's really important it might be a while before we're allowed to go back in."

"Who knows?" asked Kagura. "Anyway, if it's going to be a while, I'm going to take Sadaharu out for a walk. What about you?"

Shinpachi looked around the cluttered house around him. "I think I'll stay here and clean up a bit," he told her. "After all, it seems like I'm the only one who ever bothers to. Honestly, what would a customer think if they saw this mess?"

"Whatever," said Kagura, who was leaving the room to go get dressed for the day. She didn't really seem to care about Shinpachi's complaints.

Shinpachi just sighed as he went to work. "Some things never change," he said.

* * *

Back in the main room, Gintoki just sat at his desk in silence as he stared at the door. He waited a few minutes to make sure that Shinpachi and Kagura weren't about to come back in. Once he was sure that he could make his call in safety, he picked up the phone. He dialed the number for Hinowa's house and waited for someone to answer.

To his surprise, Tsukuyo's voice was the one that greeted him upon being picked up. "Hello?" she asked.

"Tsukuyo?" he asked. "It's me, Gintoki."

"Oh, good morning," she replied, sounding happy to hear him. "How are you doing?" she asked.

Gintoki smiled as he listened. "I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm fine…" she replied slowly. "Just in case, you do remember what happened between us last night, don't you? You didn't forget, right?"

Gintoki just laughed upon hearing this. "Of course not. It's hard to forget something like that," he said. "Believe it or not, I was actually thinking about you this morning."

"Really?"

"Yes, I was hoping I could see you again sometime so I could fulfill my promise."

"Oh, our first date, huh?"

"That's right, I have an idea in mind. Ready to hear it?"

"Go ahead," said Tsukuyo, listening carefully.

"Friday night, at 6:00, we go out to eat at my favorite ramen shop. It's a place called 'Daigo Ramen'. After that we can hang out together, just the two of us. Does that sound okay?" he asked gently, hoping she would accept his simple idea of a date. He didn't want the two of them to feel overwhelmed on their first night alone.

"That sounds great," said Tsukuyo, actually sounding kind of excited about his proposal. "Should I just meet you there?" she asked.

"Sure," Gintoki replied. "Also, if it's okay with you, let's just keep it casual. I don't really feel like getting all dressed up if you don't."

"That's perfectly fine with me," said Tsukuyo, sounding a little relieved. She didn't really like dressing up like other women. She preferred to wear her casual clothing. She was happy to hear that Gintoki was the same way.

"Well great," said Gintoki. "It's a date. I'll see you at 6:00 on Friday then."

"Right, I'll see you then," said Tsukuyo. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Gintoki smiled as he hung up the phone. He was excited for their first date. He no longer felt scared or nervous like he had earlier that morning. _It doesn't feel weird anymore._ _It feels…nice _he thought. _I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm really looking forward to being in a relationship with her._

* * *

Meanwhile, Shinpachi was standing still outside the room. He was holding a feather duster in his hand, but he was not using it. He had been dusting around outside the room where Gintoki was, where he had accidently heard part of Gintoki's conversation on the phone. He was standing still because he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

_Believe it or not, I was actually thinking about you this morning. I was hoping I could see you again sometime. It's a date. I'll see you at 6:00 on Friday then._

Shinpachi just continued standing there as he thought about what he had just heard Gintoki say. _Who was he talking to?_ he wondered. _He was thinking about someone and he said he wanted to see them. And then he said it was a date… Does Gin-san have…a girlfriend!?_

Shinpachi couldn't help but wonder if that was the case. _Is that why he was acting so suspicious? He did seem like he was trying to hide something from us. Is this what it was? I need to get to the bottom of this. I think he said he's meeting this girl on Friday. I'll try to find out what's really going on when the time comes._

* * *

Tsukuyo smiled to herself as she hung up the phone. She was really excited for her first date in her first relationship. She stood there thinking about what the date would be like. _It sounds like it will be nice _she thought to herself. _It will just be the two of us spending time together. I don't know why, but I always feel happy just being around him. It should be a pleasant evening._

As Tsukuyo stood there thinking, Hinowa came into the room. She curiously looked over at Tsukuyo who was standing near the phone. "Tsukuyo, who were you just on the phone with?" she asked politely.

Tsukuyo just looked at her. She thought about hiding the truth from her, but decided against it. She had a lot of respect for Hinowa and she didn't like to lie to her. "It was Gintoki," she answered honestly.

Hinowa gave Tsukuyo a look of surprise. "Really? Why was he calling?" she asked.

Tsukuyo suddenly became very nervous. "He just needed to tell me something," she said with a very quiet voice. She didn't want to let Hinowa know anything that she didn't need to.

Hinowa just stared at Tsukuyo with a frown. She could tell that something was wrong. "Tsukuyo, what are you trying to hide from me?" she asked seriously.

Tsukuyo just froze upon hearing the question. _How can she tell? Sometimes I think she's too good at being a mom. _Tsukuyo just sighed and decided to give in. She knew that Hinowa would just keep asking until she had the information anyway. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret," she said.

Hinowa gave Tsukuyo a smile to show her that she could be trusted. "Of course, you can tell me anything" she replied.

Tsukuyo took a deep breath, as she was about to reveal her secret. She didn't really want anyone to know that she was going out with Gintoki, but she felt that she could tell Hinowa without being embarrassed. She knew that she could trust Hinowa with her secret.

"Last night," she began, "when Gintoki and I were alone, he… he asked me out on a date," she said with a slight smile.

Hinowa's face lit up upon hearing this. "Really?" she shouted with excitement. "This is wonderful! Oh, Tsukuyo, I'm so happy for you!"

Tsukuyo gave Hinowa a look of alarm as she was screaming very loudly. She tried to calm her down so she would be quiet. "Ssshhhh! Please be quiet, Hinowa. I don't want the whole world to know."

Hinowa realized that Tsukuyo was trying to keep it a secret and tried to settle down. "I'm sorry, Tsukuyo. I'm just happy to hear that you and Gin-san are finally going somewhere."

Tsukuyo gave her a look of confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it was obvious that you two had feelings for each other. I was just waiting for the both of you to finally realize it yourselves."

Tsukuyo simply blushed without saying a word. There was truth in Hinowa's words, but she didn't want to let her know that. _Had my feelings really been that obvious? _she wondered.

"Anyway, I'm happy to hear that you two are going out now," Hinowa continued. "When is your date?"

"Well, he just called to tell me," said Tsukuyo. "We're going out to eat at 6:00 on Friday."

"Sounds wonderful," said Hinowa. "I hope the two of you have a good time together."

"Thank you," said Tsukuyo timidly. She paused for a moment before she gave Hinowa a serious look. "Listen, Hinowa, I know you're happy about this and all, but you have to promise to keep it a secret, ok?"

"Why? Don't you want to let people know?" she asked.

"Not really," she said honestly. "Or at least, not right now. It's embarrassing for me. I'd rather just keep it between us for now. Do you understand?"

Hinowa gave Tsukuyo a small smile. "I understand. I'll keep it a secret for now."

Tsukuyo gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Hinowa. Please just keep it a secret from Seita and the Hyakka. They're not as understanding as you are."

"Yeah, yeah. I just hope you realize that you'll have to tell them eventually."

Tsukuyo gave her a nod to show that she understood. "I will when I'm ready, just not right now."

Hinowa continued to stare at her for a second before she decided to leave her alone. "Well alright then," she said, "I have some work to take care of, but I'll be around. Let me know if you need any help getting ready for your date," she said with a smile and a wink.

Tsukuyo just watched her leave in silence. _I hope she can keep my secret _she thought. _I'm not ready to let other people know yet. If anyone else besides her knew about me and Gintoki, I don't know what I would do._

* * *

**Author: Now that the chapter is over, let's welcome our new guest character to the conversation. It's none other than the main heroine of Gintama herself, Kagura!**

**Kagura: Hey, what's up?**

**Author: First off, let me just say that you are one of my favorite female characters in all of anime and manga!**

**Kagura: Oh wow, thank you so much. That means a lot.**

**Author: And now that we've gotten that out of the way, go ahead and read the request from the reader.**

**Kagura: Huh? What're you talking about?**

**Author: You know, that card I gave you that has a request from one of our readers written on it. You are supposed to read it.**

**Kagura: But I thought that I was here so that I could talk about the story.**

**Author: Oh…no, none of that. You're just here to read the card.**

**Kagura: What? But what about all of that praise that you were just giving me? Are you really going to make one of your favorite characters just stand here and read you a request from a reader?**

**Author: …Yeah, pretty much.**

**Kagura: …You're a real asshole, yes?**

**Author: Just read the damn card.**

**Kagura: Ugggh, fine. It's a request from someone named Nekoadmirer. It says, **_**"Can you make a chapter where Shinpachi and Kagura and the others will shockingly find out about Gintoki and Tsukuyo's relationship! Please the funny way!"**_

**Author: Thank you, Kagura. You may have been able to tell from this chapter, but that is the direction this story is heading. I plan on having Gintoki's and Tsukuyo's friends all become suspicious of them going out, leading to chaos and hilarity throughout the rest of Book 1.**

**Kagura: So this is how you write, huh? You let the readers come up with the ideas for you.**

**Author: Actually, no. This is how I planned Book 1 before I even wrote the first chapter.**

**Kagura: Wow, really?**

**Author: As far as you know.**

**Kagura: …So now do I get to ask a question?**

**Author: Nope, we're out of time.**

**Kagura: Wait, but I didn't even get to do anything!**

**Author: Too bad, we're done. Anyways, I would just like to say a quick thank you to everyone who reviews, favorites, or follows this story. I always look forward to reading all the comments you guys leave behind. It's stuff like this that encourages me to keep writing. Thank you all! See you next chapter!**


	7. Book 1 - Chapter 7

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 7

Shinpachi walked down the street towards the building where he worked. He was walking rather quickly, hoping he could make it there as soon as possible. He was coming back late from a job that Gintoki and Kagura had left him in charge of. They had both been helping Shinpachi earlier, but they ended up going home and leaving him alone to finish the job by himself.

The reason Shinpachi was in a hurry was because it was Friday evening. He was still suspicious of Gintoki possibly being on a date and he wanted to find out if his suspicions were true. If he were too late, he would miss his opportunity to catch Gintoki sneaking away. He wanted to confront him about it as soon as possible.

Shinpachi made it to the building and quickly climbed the stairs that led to the second floor. He opened the door and made his way into the office/living room. To his dismay, the only people in the room were Kagura and Sadaharu. Kagura was sitting quietly on the couch while Sadaharu was sleeping in one of the corners.

The young girl looked up once she noticed that Shinpachi had entered the room. "Oh, you're back huh?" she asked casually.

Shinpachi was looking around the room, hoping Gintoki was still there. "Yeah, I finished the job. Where is Gin-san at?" he asked.

Kagura let out a puff of air. "He disappeared a little while ago."

"Did he say where he was going?" he asked, wondering if Gintoki had left an excuse.

"Nope, he left without an explanation. AGAIN," said Kagura, sounding slightly annoyed. "I mean, seriously, is he going to just keep running off without telling us where he's going?"

Shinpachi just let out a sigh to let Kagura know that he felt the same way. _Not if I can help it _he thought in response to her question. _If I can't confront him before he leaves, I guess I'll just have to wait until he comes home._

* * *

Tsukuyo was currently walking through the streets of what was known as 'the surface'. She wasn't too familiar with the area but she knew how to get around when she needed to. She was on her way towards the ramen shop that she and Gintoki had agreed to meet at for the evening.

Unsurprisingly, she was very nervous. She was hoping the night would go smoothly, but she didn't really know what to expect. This was an entirely new experience for her. Hinowa had tried to give her some advice before she had left, but Tsukuyo had been too uneasy to listen. Now, she couldn't even remember a word that she had said.

_I need to calm down _she thought. _I won't be able to enjoy the date if I'm this anxious. What am I so scared of anyway? I do things more dangerous than this on a daily basis. So why am I so nervous about this?_

Tsukuyo's thoughts were cut short as she turned the corner of a street to find the shop that she was looking for. She noticed that Gintoki was already there, standing out in front of the building. She stood still for a second, simply staring at him. She took a deep breath and gathered up all her courage as she walked over to meet him.

"Good evening, Gintoki," she said as she approached him. She managed to give him a small smile, despite her uneasiness.

Gintoki smiled as he noticed her. "Oh, hey," he said, sounding relaxed. He didn't seem to be nervous at all. He looked completely calm about the situation.

"How long have you been standing here?" asked Tsukuyo. As she looked at him, she noticed that he had his right hand behind his back.

"Just a few minutes. I wasn't waiting for long," he replied. He stared at her for a second before he spoke up again. "Anyways, here," he said, pulling his hand out from behind his back. He was holding a single purple flower in his hand. "This is for you," he said simply.

Tsukuyo just looked at it with a blank expression. "What is it?" she asked out of surprise.

Gintoki just stared at Tsukuyo as if she was stupid. "Um, it's a flower," he said, making it sound like it was obvious.

Tsukuyo just continued staring at it. "What do I do with it?" she asked.

Gintoki was starting to get irritated. "What do you mean? You're supposed to take it," he replied.

"Why?"

"It's something you give a girl when you take her out," he explained. "It's supposed to be sweet."

Tsukuyo just couldn't understand the concept. "I don't get it. Why would I want a flower?"

"Just take the damn thing," said Gintoki, practically shoving the flower into her hands. He was trying to do something nice for his date but she had basically just ruined it for him. "Let's go inside and eat," he said, trying to move on.

"Uh, ok?" said Tsukuyo as she looked at the flower in her hands. _Do girls actually like this kind of thing? _she wondered. She followed Gintoki into the ramen shop as he led them to a table. The place was mostly empty with only a few tables actually having customers sitting at them.

The couple went ahead and took their seats in the corner of the restaurant. Gintoki figured that the two of them could get some more privacy there. Tsukuyo set her flower down on the table, still not really sure what to do with it. They proceeded to open the menus that had been sitting on the table before they arrived.

"Try and order something cheap if you could," said Gintoki from behind his menu. "I don't have a lot of money to spend so we need to keep it simple."

Tsukuyo put her menu down and tried to look at him. "You know, Gintoki, I can pay for my part of the meal. It's no big deal," she said. She honestly felt kind of bad for the guy. She knew that he didn't always have a lot of money and that he needed every penny he earned.

Gintoki put his menu down for a second and gave Tsukuyo a serious look. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I'm paying for everything, no questions about it."

"But Gintoki, I really don't mind helping you out," she said sincerely.

"I promised I would take you on a real date, didn't I?" he said seriously. He lifted his menu back up and started looking at it again. "On a real date, the man pays for everything. That's just how it goes. And it doesn't matter how poor he is either," he said from behind the menu.

"Are you sure?" asked Tsukuyo. "I don't want to be a burden."

Gintoki put down his menu one last time to look at her. "You're not a burden. I want to do this. Trust me, it's worth it," he told her. He then pulled up his menu one last time to signify that he was done talking about the subject.

Tsukuyo just looked down at the table. She figured she had no choice but to let him do what he wanted. "Well, ok then," she said. "Thank you, Gintoki, I appreciate it."

"Mm-hmm," he mumbled from behind the menu.

Tsukuyo simply smiled to herself as she continued looking at the table. _He's trying really hard to make this a good date _she thought. _It's kind of sweet. I like him better when he's trying to be nice to me. It's hard to believe that a week ago I hated his guts. What ever happened to that asshole that enjoyed pissing me off? _she thought with a quiet giggle.

As the two of them sat there trying to decide what to eat, a lady approached their table with a pen and paper in her hand. Once she arrived, she looked over at Gintoki and gave him a small smile. "Well, look who it is," she said. "What brings you here Gin-san?"

Tsukuyo stared at the woman with a look of curiosity. _Who is this woman? She seems to know Gintoki._

Gintoki gave the woman a small smile in return. "Hey, Ikumatsu. We're just here to get something to eat," he explained. He didn't bother mentioning the fact that they were currently on a date.

The woman known as Ikumatsu gave Tsukuyo a friendly look. "Gin-san, you usually come here alone," she said. "Who is this you brought with you?"

"This is Tsukuyo," he explained without getting into the details. He was trying to keep things simple for the time being. "Tsukuyo, this is Ikumatsu. She's the owner of the shop," he said, finishing the introductions.

Tsukuyo gave Ikumatsu a small smile and extended her hand out toward her. "It's nice to meet you, Ikumatsu," she greeted her.

Ikumatsu gently grabbed Tsukuyo's hand and gave it a friendly handshake. "Same to you," she said kindly. "So, tell me about yourself. Are you a friend of Gin-san?"

Tsukuyo was suddenly caught off guard by the question. "Oh, well, uh," she stuttered. She didn't really know how to answer her. She knew that the two of them were in a relationship now, but she didn't know if it was exclusive information. She looked over to Gintoki for help.

Gintoki started coughing and scratching the back of his head. "Actually, Ikumatsu, we're kind of…more than friends," he said quietly. He was lightly blushing, showing that he was somewhat embarrassed to reveal the truth.

Ikumatsu crossed her arms in surprise. "I never thought I'd see the day," she said. "You finally found yourself a girlfriend, did you?"

"Yeah, something like that," he mumbled, still scratching his head.

Tsukuyo just sat there in silence as she stared at him. She was somewhat blushing herself. She felt weird, hearing Gintoki say that they were in a relationship together.

Ikumatsu didn't seem to mind the couple's embarrassment. She actually thought it seemed kind of cute. She looked over at Tsukuyo for a quick second. "Good luck with this one, sweetie. He's a real handful. Trust me, you're going to need it," she said with a small laugh.

Tsukuyo just gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, r-right," she said.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment before Ikumatsu spoke up again. "Anyways, I wish the best for the both of you. I hope you both find happiness together."

"Thank you, Ikumatsu," said Gintoki, pausing for a moment. "Listen, can you do me a favor and keep quiet about us for now?" he asked her sincerely. "I kind of want to keep it a secret for the time being. I don't want anyone finding out, especially Zura. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Ikumatsu gave Gintoki a look of confidence. "Of course Gin-san, I won't let your secret slip," she assured him. "Katsura still comes around from time to time, but I won't tell him what you've been up to."

Gintoki gave her a smile. "Thanks Ikumatsu, I knew I could count on you."

Tsukuyo just sat in silence, thinking to herself about what Gintoki had just said. She found it interesting that he wanted to keep the relationship a secret. She had some questions for him, but she didn't want to ask them until the two of them were alone.

Ikumatsu lifted her pen and paper as she looked at Gintoki and Tsukuyo. "Anyway, I came over her to take your order. Do you two know what you want?" she asked kindly.

"Um, we're not really sure yet," said Gintoki honestly. "We were hoping we could get something cheap that still tastes good."

"I'll tell you what," she said. "I'll give you each the fried rice meal for half price since you're on a date."

"Sounds great," said Gintoki, realizing he could get a bargain. "Is that ok with you, Tsukuyo?"

Tsukuyo snapped out of her thoughts at the mention of her name. "Huh?" she said in confusion. "Oh, yeah that's fine," she answered, realizing what Gintoki had just asked her.

Ikumatsu scribbled the order down on her paper and turned to leave. "I'll bring it over when it's ready," she said as she walked away.

Tsukuyo watched Ikumatsu leave until she disappeared into the kitchen. Once she was sure she was gone, she got Gintoki's attention. "Um, what was that about?" she asked gently.

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little confused.

"You said you want to keep our relationship a secret for now. Is that true?"

Gintoki looked down at the table. "Well, yeah…" he answered truthfully.

"How's come?" she asked, still trying to sound gentle.

Gintoki just continued staring at the table between them. "I'm sorry, Tsukuyo," he said. "I haven't told anyone about us yet. I also don't plan on telling anyone anytime soon. I just don't want people finding out about it. It's kind of embarrassing to tell my friends that I have a girlfriend, you know? It's just not the kind of thing that they expect from me. Truthfully, I'm scared to tell them about us because I'm not sure how they'll react."

Tsukuyo just gave him a look of sympathy as she listened. "I understand," she said.

Gintoki looked up at her. "You do?"

"Yeah, the truth is, I haven't really told anyone either," she confessed. "Like you, it's not what people expect from me. It's not easy to let them know. Honestly, I'd rather keep the relationship a secret for now too."

Gintoki just continued staring at her. "So, you really haven't told anyone either?" he asked.

"Well, I did tell Hinowa, but I made her promise not to tell anyone else until I'm ready," she admitted.

"I see," he said. There was a small moment of silence before Gintoki spoke up again. "Well then, if it's aright for you, I think we should keep the relationship secret for now. At least until we're ready to tell other people anyway."

Tsukuyo thought about it for a second before she answered. "That's fine by me," she agreed. She didn't really want to keep secrets from their friends, but she figured it was for the best.

* * *

A few hours later, the two of them were slowly walking through the streets of Yoshiwara. The sun had set a short while before and the sky was full of stars. They were currently heading back towards Tsukuyo's house so they could bring the night to a close. They were taking their time, simply enjoying each other's company.

As they were walking, Gintoki suddenly looked over at Tsukuyo and grinned. "Hey, hold out your hand," he requested.

Tsukuyo gave him a look of confusion. "Why?" she asked.

"Come on, just do it," he said, encouraging her to trust him.

"Um, ok…" she replied, not really seeing what he was getting at. She extended out her hand as he had instructed. To Tsukuyo's surprise, Gintoki went ahead and grabbed her hand with his own. He held it gently, treating it as if it were something special.

Tsukuyo began to feel nervous upon her realization that they were holding hands. She began to blush a little bit as she felt the warmth of his touch. _He's holding my hand _she thought. _Touching him like this feels weird. I'm not used to this. I've always been fine just being around him, but touching him is a little out of my comfort zone._

As they continued walking in silence, Gintoki glanced over at Tsukuyo. He noticed that she seemed kind of uneasy. "Are you ok?" he asked.

Tsukuyo looked down at the ground as she continued blushing. "Yeah, I just feel a little nervous when we do this," she said, indicating the embrace that they currently had.

Gintoki gave her a look of sympathy, feeling a little sorry for her. He realized that she wasn't used to this sort of thing. "Don't be nervous," he said with a look of encouragement. "You don't have to be nervous around me. You can feel relaxed without worry. I'm not going to bite, you know?"

Tsukuyo just looked at him without saying anything. She knew that she could trust him and what he was saying. She tried to calm down and just enjoy the feeling of his hand holding on to hers.

Gintoki looked up at the stars and decided to keep talking. He was hoping he could help her relax a bit more around him. "You know, it's been a really long time since I've been in a relationship quite like this one. I think I had almost given up on the thought of me ever finding a woman I wanted to be with. I lost interest in finding someone to spend my time with."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "But now, I'm in a relationship with you. And honestly, I'm really enjoying it. I like being with you, Tsukuyo. I don't feel any pressure when I'm with you, and I wish you could feel the same," he finished. He looked over at her, hoping his talk had made her feel better.

"I'm sorry," said Tsukuyo, looking at the ground. She felt bad that she didn't feel as comfortable as Gintoki did in the relationship.

Gintoki gave her a look like she was crazy. "What are you talking about? You don't have to apologize for being nervous. It's just the way you are; you can't help it. You'll get used to it eventually. You just have to give it time. It's no big deal."

Tsukuyo gave him a look of appreciation. She was truly grateful for everything he had just said. "That's very sweet of you to say, Gintoki," she said. She then paused for a moment before she revealed something to him. "Truth be told, you're the only man I've ever wanted to be in a relationship with. I'm truly happy that we're together."

Gintoki smiled. _It seems like she's finally opening up around me _he thought. "I'm glad to hear that," he told her. "Keep thinking like that and you'll stop feeling nervous in no time."

After Gintoki finished talking, the couple turned a corner to arrive on the street where Tsukuyo lived. They slowly approached her house as the date began to come to an end. They walked in silence, both of them enjoying their final moment with each other for the night.

Once they had arrived at Tsukuyo's house, they let go of each other's hand. Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki with a small smile as she began to say goodbye. "Thank you for taking me out tonight, Gintoki. I really enjoyed spending time with you."

Gintoki looked happy when he heard her say that. "Of course. I hope it wasn't too boring for you. I know that we didn't do a whole lot."

"Nonsense, it was a wonderful evening," Tsukuyo assured him. "I'm definitely looking forward to the next one." Tsukuyo paused for a moment as a thought struck her. "There will be another one, right?"

Gintoki just gave a soft laugh. "Don't worry, there will be more to come," he promised. "I'll be sure to call you whenever I come up with plans. And you're free to call me too, of course."

Tsukuyo started to feel a little excited upon hearing that. "Sounds great. I can't wait for it," she said.

Gintoki gave her a serious look. "You seem really excited," he told her. "I feel like I should give you something to hold you off until the next date."

Tsukuyo looked at him with confusion. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

Without responding, Gintoki leaned in towards Tsukuyo and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. Tsukuyo just stood still in shock as it happened. She didn't even know what to think.

The kiss only lasted for a short second before Gintoki leaned away. He gave Tsukuyo one final smile before he turned away and started heading home. "I'll see you later," he called out as he walked away.

Tsukuyo just continued to stand there in shock. She managed to lift her hand up to the place where Gintoki had just kissed her. She kept standing there outside her home for a few minutes before she realized that Gintoki had left.

Tsukuyo stared off in the direction that he had disappeared to make sure that he was actually gone. "Good night, Gintoki," she managed to whisper. She opened the door behind her and entered the house. She just looked at the floor and smiled to herself as she walked through the front. _I just had my first kiss _she thought silently.

Meanwhile, a short ways away, Gintoki was making his way towards the elevator that would take him back to the surface. Just like Tsukuyo, he was also thinking about what had just taken place between them. For some reason, only one question came to his mind as he walked.

_When was the last time I kissed a woman like that and meant it?_

* * *

**Author: Hello everyone! I'm happy to bring you another amazing chapter of-**

**Kagura: Hello everyone.**

**Author: Wait, what? Kagura, what are you doing here?**

**Kagura: I'm here to talk to you, duh.**

**Author: But you were featured in this segment in the last chapter, remember?**

**Kagura: Yeah, but I didn't even get to do anything, so I decided to come back for another chapter.**

**Author: Are you serious? Who even authorized this?**

**Kagura: You did, right? Doesn't the author authorize things?**

**Author: Well…**

**Kagura: Anyway, I'm totally ready to be a part of this segment. I even noticed a mistake you made in the chapter!**

**Author: Lucky me…**

**Kagura: Earlier, Tsukky said that Gin-chan 'needed every penny he earned.'**

**Author: So?**

**Kagura: We don't have pennies. We use yen.**

**Author: It was just an expression. I'm sure the readers will understand what I'm saying.**

**Kagura: Wow, you sure are giving them a lot of credit…**

**Author: Ah! What are you trying to say, Kagura? Are you implying that the readers are-**

**Kagura: Don't worry about it. They're probably too dense to figure it out.**

**Author: Just for the record, I do not agree with what she's saying!**

**Kagura: Anyway, I still have a question from the last segment.**

**Author: Oh boy, what is it?**

**Kagura: When are we going to get to the main villain of this arc? I want some action in this piece of crap.**

**Author: Oh, the main villain? Uh…well, you see…Book 1 doesn't really **_**have **_**a villain.**

**Kagura: …Huh?**

**Author: Yes, I'm sorry to say that we won't be getting any villains in Book 1.**

**Kagura: Seriously? I'm dropping this piece of shit.**

**Author: Hold on, the other arcs will have villains! I promise!**

**Kagura: I doubt it, you'll probably find a way to screw it up.**

**Author: No, I'll bring in some really cool Gintama villains, like Crocodile and Doflamingo!**

**Kagura: …Aren't those One Piece villains?**

**Author: …Anyway, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!**


	8. Book 1 - Chapter 8

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 8

Gintoki was silently walking up the stairs towards his home. He was trying to be quiet so that no one would become aware of his presence. It was starting to get late and he didn't want anyone waking up and catching him sneaking back home. Once Gintoki had made it to the top of the stairs, he quickly walked to the front door and managed to slip inside.

The first thing he noticed upon entering his house was that the lights were still on. _What the hell? _he thought. _Kagura is usually asleep at this time of night. Why are all the lights still on? Don't tell me she's still awake._

He slowly walked towards the door that opened to the main room. It was currently closed, but Gintoki was still able to notice that the lights were on in that room too. _Maybe Kagura just fell asleep with the lights on. She was probably just waiting for me to come home. Yeah, that's it._

Gintoki quietly slid open the door, hoping he was right. The first thing he noticed was that there was somebody sitting on the couch in front of him, but it was not Kagura.

"Shinpachi?" he said out of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

The young boy with glasses simply looked up at Gintoki as if he had been there the whole time. "Hello, Gin-san. I was wondering when you'd come home."

Gintoki stepped into the room as he closed the door behind him. He had not been expecting Shinpachi to be there. He usually headed off for home long before it got late. It was kind of unusual that he was still here at this time of the night.

Gintoki decided to go ahead and ask him some of the questions on his mind. "What are you doing here so late? And where is Kagura at?"

Shinpachi continued staring at Gintoki as he answered his questions. "Kagura went to bed a little while ago. I was just going to stay here until you came home," he told him. "I didn't want to leave Kagura all alone until you got back."

Gintoki started to feel a little nervous as he listened. _Is that really why he is here? His story seems kind of off. Why wouldn't he want to leave Kagura alone? She can take care of herself. Is it possible he was waiting for me to come home because he is suspicious of where I've been? Is that the real reason why he's here?_

Gintoki decided to clear his thoughts and just focus on getting Shinpachi to leave for the night. He was getting tired and was about ready to go to bed. "Thank you for staying here so late," he told him. "I'm sure Kagura will appreciate that you kept her company even after she fell asleep." He paused for a moment before getting to the point. "Anyway, now that I'm back you're free to head on home," he told Shinpachi, secretly implying that he should leave.

Shinpachi gave Gintoki a serious look as he spoke up. "Actually, Gin-san, I was hoping I could ask you a question before I left."

Once again, Gintoki became nervous upon hearing Shinpachi. "A question, huh?" he managed to say.

"Yeah, I was hoping you could tell me where you have been all night," he said, getting right to the point.

Gintoki just stared at Shinpachi, not trying to show any of his anxiety. He was silently thinking to himself. _Shit! He is definitely suspicious of me. He must think that I'm hiding something. If I'm not careful, he'll figure out that Tsukuyo and I are dating!_

Gintoki calmed himself down and tried to play the situation off casually like he had before. "It wasn't important," he told Shinpachi. "I was just taking care of some adult business. It's nothing to worry a kid like you about. Now, I think it's about time that you-"

"Gin-san," Shinpachi interrupted him, "I kind of…overheard the private phone call you made a few days ago," he revealed.

Gintoki just froze where he was standing. _He knows…_

Shinpachi took a moment before he decided to accuse Gintoki of his big suspicion. "Gin-san, is it possible that you're going out wi-"

Before Shinpachi could even finish his sentence, Gintoki had leapt over to him and covered his mouth with his hand. He wrapped his other arm around Shinpachi's body so that he couldn't escape. Shinpachi just looked at him out of fear as he tried to speak.

Gintoki was looking at him with a look of worry and seriousness. "Just be quiet and come with me," he whispered to Shinpachi. He slowly began to drag the boy towards his room where they could talk without fear of being heard.

Shinpachi decided not to resist. He figured he might be able to get some answers out of Gintoki if he did as he was asked.

Once the two of them were in Gintoki's room alone, Gintoki released his hold on Shinpachi. Without wasting a second, he quickly closed the door and turned to face the boy. "I'm not going out with anybody," he blurted out.

"Wait, what?" said Shinpachi. He could tell that Gintoki was starting to freak out. "Hold on a minute," he said.

"I don't know what you heard on that phone call, but I'm not going out with anybody," Gintoki insisted.

Shinpachi tried to calm him down. "Hold on a minute, Gin-san! I haven't even accused you of anything yet."

Gintoki looked at him and realized he was right. He tried to take a deep breath and relax. He knew that if he kept overreacting like that he would accidently reveal his secret.

Shinpachi decided to try and explain things to Gintoki in a calm manner. "Listen," he said, "the other day I accidently overheard part of your phone call. At the time, I thought it sounded like you were inviting a woman out on a date. I also heard you say that you were taking this woman out on Friday evening. I thought I might be wrong, but when Friday night came around, you just disappeared. I couldn't help but be suspicious, so I decided to wait here until you got home. I was going to ask you if you were seeing someone, but just now you freaked out before I could even accuse you of it."

Shinpachi paused for a moment and let out a sigh. "Just tell me the truth, are you going out with someone?" he asked gently.

Gintoki just stared at Shinpachi in silence. His look was that of utter defeat. He knew that he could not talk his way out of this one. Shinpachi had figured out Gintoki's secret, and he knew it.

Gintoki let his head fall as he sighed. "It's true," he said, "I'm going out with someone."

The room went silent as Gintoki's official revelation sunk in. Shinpachi looked at Gintoki with a soft smile, happy that he had finally discovered his secret. However, he still had some questions he wanted answered.

"Why did you keep it a secret from us?" he asked softly.

Gintoki just stared off into the room. He had explained the same thing to Tsukuyo earlier that night. Now he would have to do it again for Shinpachi.

"I was afraid," he admitted. "I was afraid of how you guys would react upon hearing the news."

Shinpachi didn't really understand. "Why?" he asked.

"Well, you know, you guys are always interfering with my life. You, Kagura, your sister, that granny downstairs, everyone. You all go crazy every time something new happens to me. I figured that this time would be no different. If I told everyone that I was seeing someone, I doubt that they would take it lightly."

"Seriously?" said Shinpachi. "You really think that your friends would go crazy upon hearing this?"

Gintoki gave him a look of doubt. "You think they would keep calm if I told them I was dating a girl?"

"Well, maybe not that," admitted Shinpachi, "but they definitely wouldn't go on a rampage or anything like that. I think that most of them would be happy to hear that you found someone to spend your time with. I know I am."

"Really?" asked Gintoki.

"Of course, it's nice to know that you are happy being with someone," he said with a smile.

Gintoki gave him a small smile in return. "I appreciate what you're saying, Shinpachi, but I doubt that everyone else is as understanding as you. You may be accepting of this, but the others may not be able to say the same."

Gintoki paused for a moment before continuing. "Look, I still don't want to let everyone know about this just yet. I need you to keep this a secret for me, just until I'm ready to tell them. Can you please promise me you will do that?" he asked with a pleading look.

Shinpachi could tell that this was important to Gintoki. He honestly didn't feel like Gintoki needed to keep his new relationship a secret, but he knew that it was what he wanted. _If he wants to keep it a secret for now, I guess he has every right to _he thought to himself.

"Fine, I won't let anyone else know about this," Shinpachi agreed. Gintoki started to show a look of relief on his face when Shinpachi suddenly continued. "However," he said, "I have one condition you must fulfill if you want me to do this."

Gintoki now showed a look of dread as he began to feel nervous again. He didn't know what Shinpachi was about to ask of him. All he knew was that whatever it was, he would have to do it. Shinpachi knew his secret, and he was currently at the boy's mercy. "Fine. What do you want?" he asked solemnly.

Shinpachi gave Gintoki a look of triumph. "I'll keep your secret if you tell me who it is that you are going out with," he requested simply.

Gintoki just looked at Shinpachi with a blank face as he thought about the request. He didn't see the harm in telling Shinpachi. He had already agreed to keep everything a secret anyway. "I'm going out with…Tsukuyo," he revealed.

"Really?" said Shinpachi in surprise. "You're going out with Tsukuyo?"

Gintoki looked down at the floor. He was immediately starting to regret his decision to tell Shinpachi. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?" he asked, trying to defend himself.

"Nothing!" said Shinpachi quickly. "There's nothing wrong with you two going out. It's just that…well," he paused for a moment. "I was kind of under the impression that she hated you."

"She does," Gintoki said without thinking. "No, wait, she did hate me, or at least she used to- OH WHATEVER! The point is we're a couple now!" he snapped.

Shinpachi just smiled, happy to know the truth. "Well, that's great," he told Gintoki. "I think you two will make a nice couple." He went silent for a second before he continued. "Now, you see? It wasn't that hard to tell me your secret was it? You can tell the others without worrying," he assured him.

Gintoki still had his doubts about that. "Yeah, whatever," he said. "Just make sure you keep it a secret like you promised."

Shinpachi just sighed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone a thing," he promised. _I guess Gin-san just won't change his mind _he thought to himself.

Gintoki let out a breath of relief. He had managed to keep his secret safe for the second time that night. _First Ikumatsu, now Shinpachi _he thought. _I hope no one else starts to become suspicious. It is exhausting enough just trying to tell two people without having them going around and spreading the news. I hope telling people becomes easier with time…_

Gintoki let out a big yawn. He was starting to get tired. He had been through a lot that evening, and he was ready to go to bed. "Well, Shinpachi," he said, looking at the boy, "if we're done here, I think you should head on home. It's getting late and I'm stressed out and tired."

Shinpachi gave a nod to show that he understood. "Ok, Gin-san. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Right, see you then," said Gintoki. He opened his bedroom door so that Shinpachi could leave. He took a quick glance at Kagura's closet to make sure that she was still asleep.

Shinpachi went ahead and exited the room, making his way out of the building. He was also starting to get tired and was about ready to fall asleep.

Once he was sure that Kagura was asleep and that Shinpachi was gone, Gintoki began to get ready for bed. As he prepared himself, he thought about everything he had revealed to Shinpachi that night. _I think I can trust him _he thought calmly. _Shinpachi is not like the others. He's more understandable than they are. I can trust him to keep my secret safe._

And with that, Gintoki crawled into bed, and fell asleep without another thought.

* * *

**Author: Hello everyone! Since this chapter featured Shinpachi as a main character, he will be our guest. Hello Shinpachi!**

**Shinpachi: Hello Author-san. I'm really excited to be here. Believe it or not, I'm actually a fan of your work.**

**Author: Wait, really?**

**Shinpachi: Of course, I think that this story is pretty good.**

**Author: …Wow.**

**Shinpachi: What's wrong?**

**Author: Oh, nothing. It's just that you're the first character to praise my story. Hell, you're the first one to not call my story a piece of crap.**

**Shinpachi: I would never say that. This story is good, no doubt about it.**

**Author: Well, thank you Shinpachi. I really appreciate the complement.**

**Shinpachi: However, even though your story is good, it definitely has some minor problems.**

**Author: …Huh?**

**Shinpachi: First off, why is this chapter so short? Couldn't you add some more material to it before you published it? Are you trying to cheat the readers out of what they deserve?**

**Author: Um, no? I wrote everything I wanted to put into this chapter. I didn't feel the need to add more…**

**Shinpachi: Second, how's come it takes so long for chapters to come out huh? Do you know how long the readers have to wait for your lazy butt to release more chapters?**

**Author: I can't help it! I have work and school! I don't have time to write new chapters every day.**

**Shinpachi: Third, why is this segment so repetitive? It's just the same old characters talking crap about the story. Can't you come up with something new already?**

**Author: You think I like this abuse!? Besides, I thought you liked this story! Where is all of this negativity coming from?**

**Shinpachi: I don't see what you're so upset about. You're the one who makes us say all these things anyway. After all, aren't you the one who writes this?**

**Author: I…uh, I don't want to answer that…**

**Shinpachi: You like to make it seem like we're bullying you, but you're the one writing all this!**

**Author: Um…I think this is a good stopping point. Let's wrap up the segment, shall we?**

**Shinpachi: Hey, don't ignore my questions! We want answers!**

**Author: As always, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter!**


	9. Book 1 - Chapter 9

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 9

_One Month Later…_

Tsukuyo quietly walked through the streets of Yoshiwara as she lightly smoked on her pipe. She was currently on patrol and was simply keeping an eye on what was going on around her. The morning was sunny and peaceful, and it seemed like everyone in the city was enjoying the warm weather.

As Tsukuyo walked on, she allowed her mind to take a break from her job as she thought about Gintoki. She started thinking about all of the time the two of them had spent together in the last month. They had been able to sneak away on quite a few dates in the time that they had to themselves. It was surprising; each date that they went on had been something new and different. One day they went to the movies, one day they had a picnic, one day they went to the beach.

Tsukuyo smiled as she continued walking. _It's been wonderful _she thought. _I've had such a great time being with Gintoki. He's really getting used to showing his sweet and caring side to me. He's hardly even pissed me off or anything. He's such a nice guy…_she thought, starting to daydream a little.

Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts and focused on doing her job again. Once she made sure that nothing was going on in her current location, she started to think again.

_We still haven't told anyone about us though. The few people that we did tell are still keeping it a secret. I wonder; how much longer are we going to put this off? Maybe we should talk about it the next time we get a chance._

Tsukuyo brought her thoughts to an end as she went back to focusing on her patrol.

* * *

A little later that day, Shinpachi and Kagura walked into the bar that sat below their workplace. Shinpachi appeared to be a calm and quiet mood while Kagura, on the other hand, seemed like she was upset about something.

Upon noticing that the two kids had entered her empty bar, the kind old lady known as Otose gave them a look of surprise. "You two again?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're back," said Shinpachi, taking a seat at the bar. Kagura went ahead and plumped down right next to him.

Otose continued to stare at them with surprise. "What, did Gintoki kick you guys out again?"

"Yeah," spat Kagura, "he's having another 'private phone call'. We're not allowed to be in the room."

Otose just sighed as she listened. For the past month, Gintoki had consistently forced Shinpachi and Kagura out of the house in order to make private phone calls. The two of them had managed to find refuge in Otose's bar whenever this happened, giving them a place to relax as they waited. Naturally, Kagura was upset that she had been sent out of the house so many times, but Shinpachi didn't seem to mind it. Perhaps it was because he knew the truth behind Gintoki's mysterious phone calls.

Otose looked at the kids with some sympathy. "Honestly, why does Gintoki insist on sending you two out of the house so much? Just what game is he playing?" she wondered.

"I don't know, but he's pissing me off!" shouted Kagura, starting to get angry. "He's been making these phone calls almost every day! And he never allows us to be anywhere near him when he does it! It's so annoying!"

Upon hearing the noise Kagura was making, Catherine and Tama walked out into the bar from the back room. "What's all the fuss about?" asked Catherine with a sneer. "Oh, it's you two again," she said, recognizing the bar's two new regulars.

"Has Gintoki-sama banished you again?" asked Tama with a kind voice.

"Yeah, another phone call," said Shinpachi.

"These phone calls are only the beginning of it," explained Kagura, still in a rage. "Gin-chan has been acting weird lately."

This new information seemed to catch the interest of Otose. "How so?" she asked, wanting to know more details.

"He's been disappearing on random nights and afternoons for several hours at a time," said Kagura. "And whenever he comes back, he never tells us anything. It's like he's trying to hide something from us."

"Really?" said Otose, her eyes widening upon hearing this. "I wonder…"

Everyone stared at Otose and realized that she might have figured something out. "Do you know something, Granny?" asked Kagura in excitement. "Tell me!" she shouted.

Otose folded her arms and looked kind of amused. "Well, I have a theory…" she said with a smile.

"Please tell me!" Kagura begged. "I want to know what Gin-chan's up to!" By now the others in the room were also very interested in what Otose was going to say.

Otose closed her eyes and continued smiling as she revealed her answer. "It's possible that Gintoki has managed to find himself a lover."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened in surprise, including Shinpachi's. They all had looks of shock on their faces as they had never imagined such a thing before.

"Gintoki-sama has found a machine to spend his time with?" asked Tama in wonder.

"That mop-head?" sneered Catherine. "No way, who would want to go out with an idiot like him?"

"Gin-chan likes a girl?" asked Kagura in surprise. "Are you sure, Granny? That's never happened before."

"Well, it is just a guess," said Otose, looking at the group around her. "But it would certainly explain everything that has been going on. When he's on the phone, he's actually talking to this girl. When he disappears, he's probably taking her out on dates," she explained.

As the others thought about the possibility of Otose's claims, Shinpachi simply sat there in silence with his mouth hanging open. _She figured it out _he thought. _She doesn't realize it, but her guess is spot on. She knows exactly what Gin-san is up to._

Shinpachi continued to sit there without saying a word, starting to think about what he should do to handle the situation. _I promised Gin-san that I wouldn't let his secret slip, but I can't help it if they figure it out on their own! What exactly should I do? I mean, I know I don't have any obligation to keep them from finding out, but is that the right thing to do? Should I just sit here and let them figure it out?_

Shinpachi was now trying desperately to figure out a solution for both Gintoki and himself. _I made a promise to him _he thought. _I promised I wouldn't tell anyone his secret. Gin-san wanted me to keep this secret for him no matter what happened. Even though I didn't agree to keep others from finding out on their own, maybe I should try anyway. After all, Gin-san wouldn't want all of these women to come knocking on his door wondering why he hasn't told them that he's seeing someone._

He paused for a moment before arriving at his answer. _I'll do it_ he thought. _I'll do my best to convince them that they're wrong. I don't want to hide this from them like you do, Gin-san, but for your sake I'll help you out. You'll owe me one for this._

Shinpachi immediately started listening to the conversation again. The others were currently talking about how likely it was that Otose's claims were true.

"I guess it could be possible," said Kagura slowly. It seemed like she was actually starting to believe that Gintoki was going out with someone.

Shinpachi suddenly joined in on the conversation. "Now, hold on a minute," he said. "We can't be sure that Gin-san is seeing someone. You're all just making assumptions right now. How do we know he's not hiding something else?"

Everyone looked at Shinpachi out of curiosity. "Like what?" asked Kagura.

Shinpachi was suddenly caught off guard. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "I don't know, it could be anything," he said. "All I'm saying is that we don't know for sure that he's dating someone. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Well, what Granny said seems to make sense," said Kagura. "I can't think of anything else that would explain it."

The group went silent as they considered Shinpachi's words. "How do we find out what the truth is?" Catherine asked as she looked towards Otose.

Otose simply crossed her arms once again and sighed. "Well, I suppose you could just ask Gintoki if he's going out with someone," she suggested.

"You think he would give an honest answer?" asked Kagura with a look of doubt. "He'll probably just dismiss it like he has every time I've tried talking to him."

"That's true enough," admitted Otose. "If Gintoki hasn't told you what's been going on all this time, he's probably not going to do it now."

The room once again went silent as the group thought about how they could get the truth from Gintoki. Shinpachi decided to take the opportunity to calm them down and dismiss their claims.

"Maybe we should just keep quiet about it for now," he suggested. "I'm sure that Gin-san will tell us what's going on in his own time. Maybe he's just not ready yet. We should probably just wait for him to tell us the truth when he is ready."

Kagura slammed her fist down on the bar in front of her. "Screw that!" she shouted. "Gin-chan has been hiding this secret for a month already! He's had plenty of time to tell us what he's up to! I can't wait any longer, I want to know the truth right now!"

Otose gave the young girl an amused look. "And how exactly are you going to find out?" she asked out of curiosity.

Kagura smiled as she came up with an idea. "I'll just go around and ask everyone what they know. Maybe there's someone out there that knows what Gin-chan's secret is."

With a clear goal in mind, Kagura went ahead and hopped to her feet. She started making her way towards the door. "I'm off to go investigate, I'll let you know what I find out," she said.

Shinpachi watched her slowly walk out of the building in fear. "Wait! Kagura-chan!" he called after her. He immediately got to his feet and started running after her. "I'm coming with you!" he shouted.

As he caught up to her, Shinpachi realized what his priorities were. _I can't leave her running around on her own _he thought. _I'll have to try and keep her from doing any damage with her new suspicions._

As the two kids walked out the door, the other three were left to think about the situation. Tama looked over to Otose and decided to ask her a question. "Otose-sama, do you really believe that Gintoki-sama has found himself a lover?"

Otose simply smiled to herself as she thought about the possibility of it. "It's certainly possible," she said," but honestly, I wouldn't mind if he was dating a girl. It would be nice if he could finally give me some grandkids."

Catherine looked at the old lady as if she were crazy. "You do know that that idiot isn't really your kid, right?"

Otose continued smiling as she answered her. "Come on now, can't you let an old lady dream a little?"

* * *

While Shinpachi and Kagura had been sitting in the bar, Gintoki had been talking to Tsukuyo on the phone. He had made sure that both of his workers had left the room beforehand. "So, what are you up to?" he asked Tsukuyo casually.

"Not much," she replied. "I just came home from work."

"I see," said Gintoki. "Do you have to go back later?"

"No, the Hyakka said that they could handle it. I have the rest of the day off."

"Interesting, do you have any plans for your day off?"

"Not really. Why, did you want to do something?" asked Tsukuyo.

"Yeah, how about we meet for lunch? I have a job I need to take care of in the afternoon, but we can still have lunch together. How about it?"

"That sounds great, where should we meet?" she asked, sounding interested.

Gintoki gave Tsukuyo the details and they agreed to meet each other in a half-hour. Gintoki said his goodbye and hung up the phone. He smiled to himself as he got up and exited the room.

_I wonder where Shinpachi and Kagura went off to_ he thought as he stepped outside his house. _I was going to have them help me with that job this afternoon. They must be around here somewhere._

He descended the stairs that led to the street and looked around for his friends. Suddenly, the front door of Otose Snack House opened up and Tama walked out carrying a broom. She immediately noticed Gintoki standing there.

"Ah, good morning, Gintoki-sama," she greeted him. "How are you today?"

"Good," he replied. "By any chance, have you seen Shinpachi and Kagura around? I need to tell them something," he explained.

"Yes, Shinpachi-sama and Kagura-sama went out into town a little while ago," she informed him.

"They did?" asked Gintoki in surprise. "Did they say when they would come back?"

"No," said Tama, "but I believe that they will be gone for the whole day."

"Seriously?" groaned Gintoki. "Great, now I'll have to do the job by myself." He sighed to himself, wondering why the two of them had suddenly wandered off into town for the day. "Well, anyway, thanks for the info," he said as he started walking away.

"Are you going out into town too, Gintoki-sama?" asked Tama out of curiosity.

Gintoki stopped and turned around to answer her. "Yeah, I'll be gone for a few hours. If anyone asks where I am, just tell them that I'm busy."

Tama gave him a look of surprise. After a couple of seconds she seemed to return to normal. "Ok, I think I understand," she told him. "I'll let them know what you're doing."

Gintoki gave her a somewhat confused look. "Um, thanks?" He felt like she was acting weird, but he decided it was time to get going. He didn't want to be late for Tsukuyo. "I'll see you around," he called out as he walked away.

"Farewell, Gintoki-sama," said Tama as she watched the man walk away. "Have fun with your lover," she added at the end.

Gintoki held his hand up and gave a slight wave to show that he understood what she had said. Unfortunately for him, however, he had only caught the first part of Tama's final comment. 'Have fun' was the only part that he had clearly heard. The term 'lover' never reached his ears. If it had, Gintoki would surely have stopped in his tracks and questioned Tama about everything she knew. But it was not so. In the end, he walked away, accidently letting his secret slip out without even realizing it.

Tama simply stood there as she watched him give a wave. In her mind, that gesture confirmed any suspicions revolving around Gintoki having a lover. She decided to take the opportunity to register her new data.

"Data confirmed," she said.

* * *

**Author: This time around, I'd like to welcome Granny Otose to this segment. Say hi, Otose!**

**Otose: Why do I have to be here?**

**Author: …What?**

**Otose: Why am I in this segment? I don't want to be here.**

**Author: What? Why not?**

**Otose: This is a place for idiots to showcase themselves. I don't want to be a part of that.**

**Author: What are you talking about? This is a place for all of the Gintama characters to try and make the reader laugh.**

**Otose: Exactly, it's a place for idiots to do stupid things.**

**Author: Hey now, we don't just do stupid things in here!**

**Otose: Oh, right, you make fun of this shitty story too.**

**Author: Now hold on a minute!**

**Otose: Honesty, why in the world did you think I would want to be a part of this? There's nothing appealing about this. There's not even any wine or anything.**

**Author: Wine? You want wine? You own your own bar! Get your own damn wine!**

**Otose: Sheesh, you sure know how to make someone feel welcome. Don't you feel bad now that you've yelled at an old lady? Honestly, this is why nobody likes your story.**

**Author: I'm about to put you down for a nap you ungrateful hag!**

**Otose: Good, that's better than being here.**

**Author: Why you- Hey! Where are you going?**

**Otose: I'm out of here. Don't bother calling me back.**

**Author: Fine! Go ahead and leave! See if I ever put you in my story again!**

**Author: …Damn it, she would probably like that…**


	10. Book 1 - Chapter 10

**All right! This story now has a total of 10 chapters and 20 followers! We're in the big leagues now! (right?)**

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 10

Shinpachi and Kagura walked through the streets of Edo until they arrived at the first stop in their investigation. Surprisingly enough, it was the Shimura Dojo, Shinpachi's very own home.

Kagura stopped outside the gates and looked back at Shinpachi. "Let's see if the boss lady knows anything," she told him with an excited look on her face.

"You mean Sis?" asked Shinpachi, looking a little worried.

"Yeah, she knows Gin-chan pretty well. I'll bet she might know what he's been up to," Kagura replied with confidence. She went ahead and opened the gate allowing the both of them to enter.

As they walked through, Shinpachi started to feel nervous. _This could be bad…_he thought. _Kagura is going to let her know exactly what she's suspicious of. I won't be able to keep her from doing that, so I'll have to convince Sis that the suspicions are false. It's the only way to even try to keep Gin-san's secret safe. I hope this goes well._

The two of them managed to find Otae sitting just inside the dojo at a table. The door to the outside was open, allowing the warm breeze into the house. Surprisingly, she was not alone. Sitting at the table with her was none other than her best friend, Yagyu Kyuubei. Upon seeing her, Shinpachi became even more nervous. He had not been expecting anyone other than his sister to be at his home. Now there would be at least two more people that would become suspicious. The situation had just become a little worse.

Upon noticing the two, Otae gave them a happy look of surprise. "Shin-chan, Kagura-chan, what brings you two here?"

"Hey boss lady," greeted Kagura as she gave her a happy look in return. "We came here because we were hoping you could answer some questions for us," she explained.

"Questions?" asked Otae, wondering what Kagura had in mind. "What kind of questions?"

"Well, you see," said Kagura, "Gin-chan's been acting weird lately and we were wondering if you might know something about it."

"Gintoki?" asked Kyuubei out of interest. "It's probably nothing. If he's acting weird then it sounds like he's behaving normally," she said casually as if it were the truth.

Otae started to look worried. "Gin-san is acting weird? What's he doing? Is he treating you two ok?"

"No, it's nothing like that," said Shinpachi quickly, waving his hands back and forth. He didn't want his sister to unnecessarily worry about them. "The two of us are fine, it's Gin-san that's the problem," he explained.

"Well, what's wrong with him this time?" asked Kyuubei.

"We think that he might be going out with some girl," said Kagura, revealing her true suspicion.

Upon hearing the news, Otae and Kyuubei both showed extreme expressions of shock. Their eyes widened and their mouths fell open. They couldn't imagine what Kagura had just suggested. They had never heard of such a thing happening before.

Otae tried to gather her thoughts in order to respond to Kagura. "Seriously? G-Gin-san is…is…" she trailed off. She just couldn't believe what Kagura was telling her.

"Gintoki has seduced a woman?" asked Kyuubei, completely misreading the situation.

Shinpachi immediately realized that things were getting out of hand. "Now, wait a minute," he said loudly, hoping to calm them down. "We're not completely sure about this. It's just a theory. We have no idea if he's actually dating someone," he tried to explain.

"Right," said Kagura. "But' it's still our best guess. We came here to ask you two if you would know anything about it."

The two girls managed to calm down enough to listen to what Shinpachi and Kagura were saying. "I don't know anything about Gin-san seeing some girl," Otae answered truthfully.

"Neither do I," said Kyuubei.

"Nor do I," said a mysterious third voice.

The group suddenly started looking around, wondering who had just spoken. It was clear that it was none of those present; it had to have been someone else who was nearby. "Is someone there?" asked Shinpachi, still looking around.

Suddenly, a cupboard door slid open, revealing the owner of the new mystery voice. Out of the cupboard crawled the chief of the Shinsengumi, Kondo. He stood up and looked at all of the shocked and angry faces in front of him. "Um, sorry," he said, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

The group of girls all looked at the new intruder with disgust. They were not happy to see that this man was stalking the dojo once again. Shinpachi, however, appeared to be the most distraught at Kondo's sudden appearance.

"Why are you even here!?" he screamed out of anger. Even though he appeared to be angry with Kondo for stalking his sister again, Shinpachi was actually worried about something else. He was now concerned with his new priority. Another person had just become suspicious of Gintoki's secret, and it made him feel even more nervous. _This is starting to get out of hand…_he thought.

Kondo looked at the group and decided to respond to Shinpachi's question. "Well, you see," he explained, "I was simply spending some time with Otae-chan when I accidently heard you say that your boss is stalking someone."

"No, Gorilla-san," said Kyuubei, "Gintoki is not stalking someone, he is seducing some innocent girl. Not everyone is a stalker like you."

"Actually, Kyu-chan, Gin-san is dating some girl, not seducing her," Otae corrected her.

"_Actually_," interrupted Shinpachi, "We don't know if he's doing _anything _with a girl. This is all just a theory, remember?" He was once again trying to keep things under control. If he could convince the group that nothing was going on, he would be able to keep Gintoki's secret safe.

"Listen," said Kagura, trying to get the group's attention. "I just want to find out if he's going out with somebody. Do you think you guys could help me?"

"Well, I am curious to see what kind of tramp Gin-san has taken interest in," said Otae with a slightly evil smile.

"As am I," agreed Kyuubei.

"Me too! I want to know who he's stalking!" yelled Kondo.

"So you'll help me find out what Gin-chan's up to?" asked Kagura, starting to get excited. The three of them each gave her a nod, confirming that they were in. Kagura smiled and turned to face Shinpachi. "Isn't this great? Look at all the help we have! We'll find out Gin-chan's secret in no time!"

Shinpachi managed to smile as he hid the feeling of dread within him. _This is bad _he thought. _This is really, really bad. I could handle one of them, but now there are four people who are close to discovering Gin-san's secret! What do I do?_

"So now what do we do?" asked Kyuubei.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Otae with a smile. "We'll go right up to Gin-san and ask him who he is going out with. Simple as that."

"Hold on a minute, boss lady," Kagura interrupted. "Every time I asked Gin-chan about his secret, he wouldn't tell me a thing. I don't think that this time will be any different," she explained.

The group started to look a little dismayed when Kondo spoke up. "Hold on," he said, "Do you really think he'll be able to turn all of us away? If we all confront him at once, he will have no choice but to tell us what's going on. He won't be able to keep quiet if we ask him as a group."

Kagura's face lit up as she gave Kondo a look of confidence. "That might actually work, Gori!" she shouted excitedly.

"Yes, nice thinking Gorilla-san," Otae complemented him.

Kondo blushed upon hearing praise from his crush. "Oh, it was nothing," he said modestly.

"Gin-chan should still be at home," explained Kagura. "Let's go confront him right now!"

"All right, off to Odd Jobs it is!" said Otae. She and Kyuubei got up from the table they were sitting at. The whole group then followed Kagura as she led the way back to her home.

Shinpachi, however, just stood at his home in silence. While the rest of the group had been deciding on their plan of action, Shinpachi was left to keep wondering what he should do to handle it. _Now they're heading straight for Gin-san! What do I do? I can't stop them; they're convinced that he is dating someone! They're already heading out the gate!_

Shinpachi immediately snapped out of his thoughts and ran after the group. He decided that he might as well try and keep an eye on them, even though he couldn't do anything to help at that point.

_I can't stop them _he thought. _I've failed. You better be prepared, Gin-san, because I can't get you out of this situation. I tried to keep your secret safe, but it's spiraled out of control. The situation is in your hands now, whether you know it or not!_

* * *

Meanwhile, Gintoki and Tsukuyo were sitting across from each other in a small restaurant. They had just met up a little while earlier and were now having lunch together. It was a nice and simple date that allowed them to enjoy each other's company.

As Tsukuyo was eating, she couldn't help but think about how she felt in her current situation. Surprisingly, she felt perfectly normal. It was almost the exact opposite of the first date she had experienced. She didn't feel nervous or uneasy or anything like that. If anything, she felt comfortable around Gintoki.

_What a long way I've come _she thought to herself. _I used to not be able to look into his eyes, but it doesn't bother me much anymore. I used to feel nervous holding his hand, but now I can do it without a problem. In fact, I really like to do that sort of thing…I guess I've grown sort of attached to this silver-haired idiot _she thought with a smile.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Gintoki, suddenly interrupting Tsukuyo's thoughts. He was staring at her and wondering why she was being so quiet.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Tsukuyo, starting to blush a little as she looked away. She didn't want to let Gintoki know that she had been thinking about him.

Gintoki looked at her with an amused curiosity. "If you're not thinking about anything, then why are you blushing so much?" he asked with a grin.

"I'm not blushing," she insisted, although it was clear she was lying.

Gintoki smiled as he dropped his voice down to a whisper. "You were thinking about something dirty, weren't you?"

"I WAS NOT!" shouted Tsukuyo, looking at Gintoki with anger.

Gintoki had to try hard to keep himself from laughing. "Calm down, it was only a joke," he told her.

"Yeah right," said Tsukuyo, a little upset. Gintoki had recently managed to go the entire last month without pissing Tsukuyo off, but he had just ended that streak with his last comment. "And just when I was starting to think that you had matured too," Tsukuyo scolded him.

Gintoki realized that he might have pushed her a little too far and decided to apologize. "I'm sorry, it was just a little joke."

Tsukuyo couldn't help but give a small look of surprise upon hearing that. _Did he really just apologize for saying something stupid? That's never happened before. Maybe he actually has grown up a little bit._

"It's ok," said Tsukuyo. "I realize that you were only trying to be funny in your own stupid way."

Gintoki surprisingly laughed a little upon hearing that. "Well, it looks like you're finally beginning to understand me," he said somewhat jokingly.

Tsukuyo laughed a little in return and then silence fell between the two. Tsukuyo looked away for a second as she thought about something.

"Gintoki," she said, "can I tell you something?"

"Of course," he said, "you can tell me anything."

"Well, I was thinking," she said with a pause. "I…I think I might be ready to tell some people that I'm going out with you," she revealed.

Gintoki gave her a look of complete surprise. "Really?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," said Tsukuyo as she looked down at the table. "I think I should stop keeping it a secret from the people that are close to me. We've been going out for a while now. I think I'm ready to let people know the truth." She paused as she slowly looked up from the table to face Gintoki. "What do you think?" she asked him.

Gintoki gave her a look of confidence. "I think that it sounds great," he said with a smile.

"Really?" asked Tsukuyo, a little surprised that he had agreed with her.

"Of course," replied Gintoki, "If you're ready to tell your friends, then go right ahead. I don't want to hold you back."

Tsukuyo gave him a smile to show her appreciation. "I'm glad you said that. If you're ok with it, I think I'm going to tell Seita and the Hyakka sometime soon. Honestly, I think that they might have started to notice that I'm hiding something from all of them. It will feel good to finally let them know the truth. I think that they'll be happy to hear it too. At least, I hope so anyway."

Gintoki was still smiling, but he suddenly had a serious expression on his face. "That sounds fine," he said, "but do you mind if I ask you a favor?"

Tsukuyo gave him a weird look. "What is it?" she asked slowly, wondering what he had on his mind.

"Look, it is fine if you want to tell all of your friends about us," he said sincerely. "But, I would like to ask that you please continue to keep it a secret from all of my friends."

Tsukuyo looked at him with confusion. "Um, ok," she said, trying to follow along. "Who exactly do you not want me to tell?"

"Oh, you know," said Gintoki as he slowly looked away. "Just Kagura, Gran, and everyone who lives on the surface," he said simply.

"…That's a lot of people," replied Tsukuyo.

"Look, can you please just keep it a secret from them? Please?"

"I don't understand," said Tsukuyo, still a little confused. "You don't want to let anyone know that we're going out?"

"Well, not really, no," he answered.

"Why not?"

"Look, I just don't want them to find out just yet," he tried to explain. "I mean, you know who they are; they're animals. They'll freak out the moment they find out about us."

"You said that Shinpachi didn't when you told him," she pointed out.

"Yeah, well he's actually a nice kid with a normal brain. The rest of them are all idiots who will tear me to shreds if they hear anything about this."

Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki with disapproval. "So, you're just not going to tell them?"

"Not anytime soon," he replied.

"Hmmph," said Tsukuyo as she sat back and crossed her arms. "You're really reluctant to tell people that you're going out with me. It makes me wonder if you even care about me."

"That's not true!" said Gintoki, trying to defend himself. "You know I care about you. It's everyone else that I'm worried about. Besides, you've been keeping it a secret up until now too. It's not like I'm the only one guilty here."

Tsukuyo let out a small sigh as she realized that he was right. "Fine, I see your point," she said. "I'll respect your wishes for the time being. I won't tell any of your friends about us, but you have to promise that you will do it soon, ok?"

"I will," he promised. "I just need some time before I'm ready, you know?"

"I understand," she said. "I just hope that you don't put this off for too long. The longer you keep it a secret from them, the more upset that they will be when they finally find out the truth."

"I know," said Gintoki, clearly not looking forward to the situation. "Maybe if I'm lucky it won't come to any bloodshed," he said sarcastically.

* * *

A short while later, the couple was saying goodbye to each other outside the restaurant. They were about to go off in different directions.

"I'm heading off to take care of a job this afternoon," said Gintoki. "I wish Shinpachi and Kagura were going to help me, but I guess they decided to take the day off. Honestly, if they're just going to goof off the whole time while I work, I should just fire them."

"Come on," said Tsukuyo with a laugh. "We both know that you're not going to do that. Your heart is too big," she teased him.

"What are you talking about? You don't know anything about me," he said, slightly blushing. "Just watch, I'm going to go fire them right now. It will probably save me a lot of trouble in the end anyway."

Tsukuyo couldn't help but softly laugh at him. "You're such a fool," she told him.

"Whatever" he replied, slightly smiling at Tsukuyo's laugh. "I need to get going."

"Well alright, have a good day at work," she told him. "I'll see you again later, ok?"

"Yeah, I'll give you a call sometime," he said. He gave her small kiss goodbye and then started walking away.

Tsukuyo turned away and began walking back to her house. As she walked, she started thinking about the conversation that she had just had with Gintoki a little while ago. She felt a little disappointed that he wanted to keep the relationship a secret so badly, but there was nothing she could do about it.

_If he isn't ready yet, then I guess that there's no helping it_ she thought to herself._ Just because I feel ready now doesn't mean that he does too. But he'll tell them soon enough. He probably just needs a little bit of time…_

Unfortunately, it would seem like time was something that Gintoki was slowly running out of. The worst part, was that he didn't even know it yet…

* * *

**Author: Let's do something that we've never done before. I'm going to have two characters in this segment at once! After all, what's the worst that could happen? Let's all welcome Otae and Kyuubei!**

**Otae: Nice to meet you, Author-san. We're happy to be a part of the story.**

**Kyuubei: What are we even doing here anyway?**

**Author: Hold on a minute, Kyuubei. Otose used the "why am I here" argument in the last segment. We can't do that again; you'll have to say something else.**

**Kyuubei: …I don't get it…**

**Otae: What exactly do you want us to say, Author-san?**

**Author: I don't know. Just say something stupid that will make the reader laugh.**

**Otae: You mean like insult the story?**

**Author: Actually, I think I've overkilled that joke long ago. Besides, it's probably best to not talk negatively about the story, don't you think?**

**Kyuubei: But there are so many problems with it though…**

**Otae: Yeah, some changes could definitely be made.**

**Author: What? Were you not listening? We can't do this sort of thing again! The readers are probably sick of this!**

**Otae: First things first, we definitely need to take out the Gorilla.**

**Kyuubei: Yes, stop wasting words on his character.**

**Author: Kondo? What did he do wrong!? (Other than stalk you, of course)**

**Otae: I also think that Kyu-chan and I need more screen time. We might need to remove more characters.**

**Kyuubei: Let's take out Tsukuyo. After all, she and Gintoki took up half the chapter.**

**Author: No Tsukuyo in a Gintoki x Tsukuyo story!? Are you insane!?**

**Otae: Don't worry; Gin-san can be taken out too. That should fix the problem, right?**

**Kyuubei: Yes, then the story will just be about the 'x'. Plain and simple.**

**Author: X? X isn't even a character! Who the hell is X supposed to be!?**

**Kyuubei: X is the main character of "Xtama".**

**Otae: He works for Odd Jobs X with his friends Y and Z.**

**Author: What are we even talking about anymore? Are we even talking about Silver Moon!?**

**Kyuubei: …Silver Moon?**

**Otae: …Is that supposed to be the title of the story?**

**Author: It IS the title of the story, thank you very much.**

**Kyuubei: …But the moon isn't even silver…**

**Author: …That's it! I'm done! I can't deal with you two any longer! I'll see you all next chapter!**


	11. Book 1 - Chapter 11

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 11

The front door of Odd Jobs Gin slid open to reveal the small group standing just outside of it. It was the newly formed investigation team that was determined to discover the truth behind Gintoki's secret. Standing in the front was Kagura, followed by Otae and Kyuubei, with Kondo and Shinpachi in the back. They all carried serious looks on their faces, except Shinpachi, who secretly looked quite concerned.

Kagura cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled as loud as she could, "Gin-chan! Where are you? We have some questions to ask you!"

The building stayed quiet. No response came from inside the house. Shinpachi began to wonder if Gintoki was staying quiet out of fear or if it might be possible that he actually wasn't home.

The group stood in the doorway for a moment before Kyuubei spoke up. "We should hurry up and confront Gintoki before he has time to escape," she said with a determined look.

"Right," said Kagura, starting to lead the way into the house. She walked down the short hallway that led to the main room and quickly opened the door. "Gin-chan!" she called again.

Once again, there was no response. The room was completely empty save for Sadaharu, who was silently sleeping in a corner. The group walked into the room quietly, starting to look around. They were all starting to get confused.

"I don't get it, where is he?" asked Kyuubei.

"I don't know," said Kagura, seeming a little lost. Her new plan had just come to an unexpected halt. "He was here when we left."

"Do you think he slipped away when he heard us come in?" asked Otae.

"No, he would have had to have jumped out of a window," said Kondo. "Then again, knowing him, he was probably stupid enough to actually try that."

"Not likely, the window is closed," said Kyuubei, pointing to it. "Plus, I don't see his corpse lying in the ally down there."

Kagura continued to look around the room, unable to believe that Gintoki had escaped. "Gin-chan?" she mumbled.

Shinpachi simply stood in the doorway, his mouth open in awe of the miracle that had just happened in front of him. _He's not here! _he shouted in his head. _He managed to escape before we got here! How did he do it? Did he know we were coming? Did he decide to make a break for it when he had the chance?_

Shinpachi tried to calm down as he sighed with relief. _Whatever happened, it seems like we dodged a bullet on this one. If you had been here, Gin-san, they would have dragged the secret out of you for sure. Let's just be thankful that you weren't here when we showed up. You're safe with your secret for now, wherever you are._

Suddenly, a small crashing noise came from behind the partially open door that led to Gintoki's bedroom. Everyone immediately stared at the door, wondering what had just made that noise.

"Gin-chan?" asked Kagura, sounding a little hopeful.

_HE'S IN THERE!? _screamed Shinpachi from within his thoughts. _He couldn't have found a better hiding place than his own room? What kind of escape is that!?_

Kagura walked over to the partially opened door and placed a hand on it. "Gin-chan? Are you in here?" she asked as she opened it all the way.

"Did somebody say Gin-san?" asked an excited voice from within the room. Suddenly, a female figure leaped out of the room and pounced onto Kagura, forcing her to land on her back.

Shinpachi stared in horror at the new figure that sat atop Kagura. _Oh no_ he thought. _Not her. Anyone but her._

To everyone's surprise, the new guest was none other than the purple-haired ninja with an extreme crush on Gintoki. Sachan had just revealed herself. She held Kagura down on the floor as she began to excitedly talk nonsense to the young girl.

"Gin-san!" she cried. "It's been so long since I've seen you! Have you missed me? Don't worry; I'm back now! We can spend all of our time together, just the two of us!"

Kagura stared up at Sachan with an annoyed look. "I'M NOT GIN-CHAN YOU IDIOT!" she yelled.

"Huh?" asked Sachan, suddenly realizing who she was sitting on top of. "Kagura?"

"Duh!" she shouted back. "Now can you get off me?"

"Oh, sorry," said Sachan as she lifted herself to her feet. "I thought you were Gin-san and I just couldn't help myself."

Shinpachi was suddenly put on edge as he stood in silence. _Why? Why did she have to be here now of all times? She's the one with the biggest crush on Gin-san. The others are going to tell her what's going on with him, and she's definitely not going to take it well. This situation could get even worse once she knows! And I can't stop the others from telling here either! They'll start to grow suspicious of me if I do…_

"What are you doing here, Sachan?" asked Otae as she stared at the girl. Everyone else in the room was wondering the same thing.

"Well, I was waiting around for Gin-san to come home so I could spend some time with him," she explained. "However, it would seem that you all showed up before he did. What are you all doing here anyway?"

"We're here for the same reason you are," said Kondo. "We are also looking for that silver-haired idiot."

"Hey, I just thought of something," interrupted Otae, looking a little pleased with herself. "Sachan, you like to stalk Gin-san around all the time, right?"

"It's my favorite thing to do," said Sachan, smiling a little bit as she blushed.

"Hey, I see what you're getting at!" shouted Kagura as she realized what was happening. "You think Sachan might know what Gin-chan's been up to?"

"Yep, I'm thinking she might know what he's been hiding from us," explained Otae.

Sachan started to look confused. "What are you all talking about?" she asked, looking at the group in front of her.

Kagura quickly started to question the girl in return. "Do you know anything about where Gin-chan has been going in the last month? Have you been following him in that time?"

"The last month?" asked Sachan. "I'm afraid not. I was stuck with a big job that required my level of skill as a Shinobi. Unfortunately, that mission lasted the entire last month, so I was unable to see Gin-san in that time," she said in a disappointed tone.

"Oh," said Kagura, once again feeling let down. It would seem that another one of her plans had failed to reveal any new information. "Doesn't anyone know what he's been doing all this time!?" she yelled out of frustration.

Now Sachan was starting to get upset. "Hold on, what are you all talking about? What's going on with Gin-san?" she asked.

_Here we go…_thought Shinpachi, looking at Sachan with worry. He was bracing himself for the worst.

"Listen," sighed Kagura, "Gin-chan has been disappearing without saying a word several times within the last month. He refuses to tell us anything, and now we want to know what he's been up to," she briefly explained.

"That's all?" said Sachan, looking a little confused. "So Gin-san has been going off to do stuff on his own, who cares?" She clearly didn't see why the others were so interested in this case.

Otae decided to reveal the information that would ultimately change her mind. "We think that Gin-san is going out with some girl," she said.

Sachan simply looked at the group in front of her. She stood in silence with a blank expression on her face. "I'm sorry," she said, "I must have misheard you. I thought I just heard you say that Gin-san is dating some girl," she said with a small laugh.

"He is," said Kagura, starting to completely believe the suspicion herself. "There's no other explanation for his behavior. He has to be going out with someone."

Sachan was starting to get upset with what she was hearing. "Stop joking around," she said. "Gin-san dating a girl? Come on, that would never happen. He would never take interest in a girl that isn't me," she said with clenched teeth.

"Hold on a minute!" shouted Shinpachi. "It's not what you think, Sachan-san!" He had decided to take this opportunity to intervene. He knew that if he didn't do something to help, Sachan would go blind with rage. Once again, he would have to convince the group that they were wrong.

"Listen," he told her, "this thing about Gin-san dating someone is just a theory we came up with! We have no idea if this is actually happening. We don't even have any proof for this theory." He stood there holding his hands out in front of him, hoping his words had calmed her down.

"Just a theory?" she asked, seeming a bit skeptical. "Well, if it's just a theory, then why are you guys acting like it's the truth?" she asked accusingly.

"Cause it is," said Kagura simply. She crossed her arms and looked up at the ceiling. "Yep, Gin-san has been making these phone calls to this girl non-stop. He's been taking her out for a few hours at least every week. Face it, Shinpachi, this is the only possible explanation."

"No, wait Kagura-chan!" shouted Shinpachi "We don't know if-"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Sachan, starting to lose her patience. "I can't take this any longer! I want some proof of this claim RIGHT NOW!"

"I'm afraid we're looking for the same thing," said Kondo in a serious tone. "We have nothing to prove it at the moment."

"We were going to ask Gintoki about it, but we don't know where he is," explained Kyuubei.

"So then how do we find him?" demanded Sachan, her anger starting to show in her tone.

"I guess we could just wait for him to come home," suggested Otae. "He's bound to come back sometime, right?"

Shinpachi tried to take a deep breath and calm down. _At least their investigation has come to a stop for now _he thought with relief. _They can't prove that he's actually seeing someone. They can only make assumptions until they have a chance to talk to Gin-san. Who knows? Maybe Gin-san will actually be able to convince them that they are all wrong. He's pretty good at getting out of bad situations; maybe he can talk his way out of this one too._

As the group was discussing their next plan of action, they suddenly heard the sound of knocking on the front door. Everyone looked down the hall at the door and realized that someone was standing behind it, waiting for the door to be opened.

"Who could that be?" asked Otae.

"It's can't be Gintoki," said Kyuubei. "He's not stupid enough to knock on his own door, right?"

Shinpachi found himself wondering the same thing. "I'll go and find out who it is," he said. He walked down the hallway and slowly opened the door to reveal two people standing outside.

Surprisingly enough, it was the two girls that lived below the Odd Jobs building, Catherine and Tama. Shinpachi gave them each a look of confusion as he wondered what they were doing there. "Can I help you two with something?" he asked them politely.

"Yeah, could you keep it down up here? We can hear you guys yelling all the way downstairs," said Catherine, clearly not looking pleased with the boy.

"Otose-sama asked us to come up here and ask you to please quiet down," explained Tama in a polite voice.

"Oh, sorry about that," Shinpachi apologized. "I'll make sure that they stop yelling from now on."

"What are you guys doing in there anyway?" asked Catherine, starting to become suspicious. "I thought that you and the China girl went into town for the day."

"Well, we did, but the people we talked to wanted to come back here and talk to Gin-san," he explained patiently.

"Hey, who's at the door, Shinpachi?" asked Kagura as she walked up to the new small group. "Oh, it's you guys," she said in an uninterested tone.

"What's the matter?" taunted Catherine. "Couldn't you find the stupid girl that's willing to go out with that perm?"

"No," said Kagura, clearly disappointed. "We came here looking for him, but it looks like he disappeared again. By any chance, do you guys know where he went?"

"No, why would we know anything about where that idiot goes?" said Catherine, acting like she was offended.

"I see," said Kagura, starting to walk away.

"I know where he is," said Tama.

"I just can't figure anything out about-" Kagura suddenly paused and turned around. "Wait, Tama, what did you just say?"

"I said that I know where Gintoki-sama is," she said simply.

"You do?" asked the three people standing around the robot girl.

"Yes, he told me what he was going to be doing all day right before he left," she explained.

"He did!?" asked Shinpachi in disbelief. _Did Gin-san accidently tell her something?_

"Tama! Quick, come with me!" shouted Kagura excitedly as she ran back down the hallway to the main room.

Tama and Catherine both walked into the house, a little curious as to what was going on. They followed Kagura into the main room with Shinpachi trailing behind.

"Everyone!" exclaimed Kagura. "Tama says that she knows something about Gin-chan!" The group that was waiting in the room immediately went silent and gave Kagura their attention. She turned back to face her new source of information. "Go ahead, Tama, tell us everything that Gin-chan told you!"

"Well…" said Tama slowly as she tried to recollect her memory. "Before he left, Gintoki-sama said that he was looking for Shinpachi-sama and Kagura-sama. I informed him that you two had left and would probably be gone for the whole day. He seemed kind of upset when I told him that. I then asked Gintoki-sama if he was also leaving for the day. He told me that he was going to be gone for a few hours and that he would be back in the evening. I assumed that he was going off to spend some time with his lover, so I told him to have fun with her. He then gave me a wave as he left," she finished.

Everyone was staring at Tama in silence, trying to take in everything that she had just told them.

Shinpachi was the first one to speak. "Hold on a second, Gin-san didn't try to deny having a lover when you mentioned one?" he asked out of surprise.

Tama looked at the glasses wearing boy standing next to her. "No, he behaved as if I had said something normal."

Kondo started to think out loud. "So, it's true then?" he asked.

"Gin-chan is officially seeing someone?" asked Kagura. Everyone stared intently at Tama, awaiting her final response.

"Yes," she said, "I have confirmed this information within my data. It is as you say. Gintoki-sama has indeed found himself a lover."

The room was silent at first, but it soon erupted into an uproar over the truth that had just been revealed. The situation had turned to pure chaos. It seemed like everyone was yelling at once.

"He did it! That idiot really did it!" shouted Kondo. "He finally found a girl to stalk!"

"Gin-chan! Gin-chan actually likes a girl!" yelled Kagura out of shock.

"S-so he really did it then?" asked Otae out of surprise. "He asked a girl out? When did he become interested in women?"

"I don't get it," said Catherine, holding her head in her hands. "Who would be stupid enough to date an idiot like him!?"

"Tell me!" screamed Sachan, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Who is it? Who has stolen Gin-san's heart! I'll kill her! I'LL KILL HER!"

"Yes, tell us who it is," said Kyuubei, grasping the sword at her side. "I will take it upon myself to free this innocent girl from Gintoki's grasp."

Shinpachi was the only one not saying anything. All he could do was stand there and think about how out of control the situation had become._ I'm sorry, Gin-san. I don't know what exactly happened with you earlier, but they all know it now. I've failed you. It's only a matter of time until they find out who it is and then your secret will be completely out. I couldn't do anything to stop it. I'm sorry!_

Tama tried to calm the group down as they continued to yell and bombard her with questions. "Please everyone, calm yourselves!" she cried. "Gintoki-sama said that he would come back in the evening. If you have questions, you should wait here for him and ask them when he gets back," she suggested.

The group managed to settle down enough to understand what she was saying. "I think that sounds like a good idea," said Kondo, trying to remain calm. "We can get any answers we need from him when he comes back. There are more than enough of us to get him to talk."

The faces in the room all seemed to show signs of agreement. Some of them were still trying to keep from shouting in surprise. They were finding it hard to completely calm down in their situation.

"Alright, so we're agreed then," said Otae, looking around at the group. "We'll wait here until Gin-san comes home."

"Once that happens, we'll question him until he reveals this new girl's identity," said Kyuubei, continuing where Otae left off.

"And we'll definitely make sure that he won't escape!" shouted Kagura. "We've let him get away with so much up to this point. We won't let him do it again!"

"Right!" agreed Sachan rather fiercely. "I'll do whatever it takes to get the information out of him, even if it means putting together a small army!"

Suddenly, Sachan stopped talking and realized what she had just said. A slightly evil grin slowly appeared on her face.

* * *

Tsukuyo entered the front room of her house as she slowly closed the door behind her. She had just gotten back from her date with Gintoki and now had the entire day to herself. She was starting to think about when she should tell the people close to her about her new relationship. As she was thinking, Tsukuyo suddenly heard the phone start ringing in the living room.

It was not long before Hinowa answered the call. Tsukuyo walked in just as she was making her greetings to the other person. Hinowa looked up as she listened and gave Tsukuyo a small smile to as if to say 'welcome back'. Tsukuyo was going to simply walk through the room and be on her way when Hinowa suddenly caught her attention.

"Yes, Tsukuyo just came home," she said politely to the person on the other end. Hinowa listened again for another moment before saying, "Of course, please wait a moment." She then took the phone and held it out for Tsukuyo to take. "It's for you."

"Really?" Tsukuyo asked out of surprise. She didn't receive phone calls very often from anyone other than Gintoki. She knew that he was currently busy, so she figured it must be someone else. She couldn't help but wonder who it was.

Tsukuyo slowly reached out and took the phone from Hinowa. She watched as Hinowa quietly left the room in order to give her some privacy. Tsukuyo then held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tsukky, is that you?" asked the voice quickly on the other end. It sounded rather energetic, like its owner was really worked up about something.

"Yes, this is her," Tsukuyo responded, not quite sure who she was speaking with.

"Oh great! I was worried it wouldn't be you!" replied the voice, starting to sound excited. "Listen up, I have something really important to tell you!"

As Tsukuyo listened, she suddenly realized who the voice belonged to. "Sarutobi? Is that you?"

"Yeah, of course it's me. Who else would it be?" replied Sachan, still talking at a really quick pace. It was obvious that she was really eager to say something.

"Sorry," said Tsukuyo, "I didn't realize it was you at first."

"Whatever," said Sachan, clearly not upset with her. "Just listen! I have something really important to tell you! It's about Gin-san!"

Tsukuyo suddenly froze at the mention of her boyfriend's name. "Oh, Gintoki, huh?" she said, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah, listen," Sachan kept on saying. "There are a bunch of us over at Gin-san's place right now. We think we might have discovered something big."

Tsukuyo started to feel worried upon hearing this. "You guys…discovered something?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, listen closely. As much as I hate to say this, we think that Gin-san has…has found himself a _girlfriend_," said Sachan in a completely disgusted tone.

Tsukuyo's eyes opened in shock as she stood there listening. She could hardly believe what she had just heard. "What did you just say?" she managed to reply in a quiet voice.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth. We've actually confirmed it! Some new girl has come and taken Gin-san away from all of us! Can you believe that!? Anyway, I need you to come to Odd Jobs right away. We're all going to confront Gin-san when he comes home. We definitely need you here as support. "

"Hold on a minute, Sarutobi," said Tsukuyo, desperately trying to get her attention. She suddenly had so many questions she needed answered. "What exactly is going on over there?" she asked.

"Oh, you'll see when you get here," replied Sachan with a slight hint of evil pride in her tone. "Just hurry up! We're going to get a few more people to show up too! The sooner you get here, the better!"

"But-"

"Listen, Tsukky, we're all going to work together to get to the bottom of this. We're going to find Gin-san, we're going to find out who stole his heart, and then" said Sachan with a slight pause, "we are going to END THAT BITCH!"

Tsukuyo went completely silent as a wave of fear washed over her. She tried to speak up and reply to her friend, but no words came out. She was completely speechless.

"Anyway, hurry up and get here!" said Sachan quickly. "We'll be waiting for you!"

And with that, the phone went dead, and Tsukuyo realized that Sachan had hung up. She slowly placed her own phone down on the receiver and silently considered her new situation.

_Gintoki, I don't know what just happened_ she thought with a pause._ But I think we are in some serious danger!_

* * *

**Author: Hello everyone! This time around, Sachan will be my guest. Say hello!**

**Sachan: Hello.**

**Author: So, let's go ahead and just get this out of the way. Sachan, what do you think of my story?**

**Sachan: Oh, I hate it.**

**Author: Right! Ok, moving on!**

**Sachan: I mean, seriously, we're 11 chapters in and **_**now **_**I show up? What's the deal with that huh?**

**Author: Um, I was hoping we could skip this sort of thing…**

**Sachan: You should have just had me in the story from the beginning! It should have been me who entered into a relationship with Gin-san! Not Tsukky! Why didn't you name the story "Purple Moon"?**

**Author: Um, "Purple Moon"? The 'moon' part comes from Tsukuyo's name and I'm assuming that you're the 'purple' part. That doesn't really indicate that you and Gintoki are in a relationship.**

**Sachan: Then name it "Purple Silver".**

**Author: What kind of title is that!?**

**Sachan: Honestly, with the way that I'm being treated in this story, its like you don't even care about me at all! Do you even want me to be in your story?**

**Author: …**

**Sachan: Hey! Don't just sit there! Say something you shitty Author!**

**Author: Of course I like you and want you in my story. It's just that you can't be anything more than a side character. That's just the way that it is.**

**Sachan: But you're the author, aren't you? You can change it, right?**

**Author: Um…I don't really think that-**

**Sachan: I said, you can change it, RIGHT?**

**Author: …Well, anyways, I have to go!**

**Sachan: HEY! GET BACK HERE!**

**Author: Leave a review, I'll see you all next chapter!**


	12. Book 1 - Chapter 12

**Wow, this chapter ended up being really long compared to normal. I mean really really long. Oh well, I think you guys will like that though XD Here's chapter 12!**

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 12

Tsukuyo was walking through the streets of Edo at a fast pace. She had just received the phone call from Sachan a little while earlier and was now on her way to Odd Jobs Gin. Understandably, she was starting to freak out as she thought about her new and unexpected situation.

_What the hell is going on? Why does Sarutobi know that Gintoki is in a relationship? Who else knows? How did they find out? Does anyone know that I'm the one dating him? What will they do to me if they find out!?_

As Tsukuyo continued to ask herself question after question, she started to feel extremely confused as to how things had gotten so out of hand. _I thought that Gintoki was doing his best to keep our relationship a secret. So why does it feel like everyone knows about it? And why are they so hostile towards his new girlfriend? Can't they just accept it?_

Tsukuyo slowed down her pace as she gave a sigh. _Maybe Gintoki was right _she thought. _Maybe he was right to fear telling his friends. After all, it seems like they aren't taking it too well upon first hearing about it. Hell, it sounds like they're going to kill me!_

Despite Tsukuyo's uncertainty about what was going on, she had actually decided on a plan of action. At first, she had thought about trying to find Gintoki and discuss the situation with him to see what he thought about it. However, she ended up deciding to go straight to Odd Jobs Gin and simply survey the situation as an onlooker. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, but she figured that no one would suspect her if she was joining in the commotion.

_Yes, it's best to just lay low and see how bad things have become. I'll decide what to do next after that _she thought as she continued on her way.

* * *

"Ah, hello. I'm here to participate in…whatever this is…" said a middle-aged man standing outside of Odd Jobs Gin. He gave a gentle smile as his trademark sunglasses glinted in the sunlight.

"Oh, hey Madao. Come on in," replied Kagura as she stood in the doorway.

The man known formally as Hasegawa went ahead and followed Kagura in to the house. He had just received a phone call briefly describing the situation shortly before he had arrived. However, he was still a little confused when it came to the details of what exactly was going on.

"So Gin-san finally found himself a girlfriend, huh?" he asked Kagura as the two of them walked down the hall. "So is this supposed to be like a welcome party or something?"

"Um, yeah, something like that," Kagura answered without looking back.

"Really? You don't seem too sure of that," he accused her.

"We're basically just finding out who this girl is. Gin-chan is going to personally introduce her, whether he likes it or not."

"That sounds kind of…threatening," Hasegawa replied nervously.

"Whatever," said Kagura as the two of them arrived at the main room. "Hey everyone, Madao showed up," she announced as she pointed back to the man.

"That's great!" shouted Sachan as she looked up from Gintoki's desk. She was happy to hear that her small army was growing. "So, including him, how many new recruits have arrived?" she asked with excitement.

"Um, one," answered Shinpachi, who was standing right next to her. "He's the only new person that showed up."

"Seriously? It felt like more than that."

"Just who else is coming, exactly?" asked Otae as she looked over to Sachan.

"Well, let's see," she said as she looked down at the list of people that were going to participate. "I'm pretty sure that Tsukky is on her way. I tried calling Zenzo, but he said he didn't care about what Gin-san was up to," she said, sounding rather disappointed. "Did anyone go to get Otose downstairs?"

"I asked her if she would like to join us, but she said that she was uninterested and had work to do," answered Tama. "Although, she did allow Catherine-sama and I to stay up here as long as we tell her what we find out."

"Well then, I guess the turnout is a little small," said Sachan as she looked around the room. The current team consisted of herself, Kagura, Shinpachi, Otae, Kyuubei, Kondo, Catherine, Tama, and the newly arrived Hasegawa. "If we're counting Tsukky, then there should be about ten of us. That should be more than enough, right?"

"Yeah, this should be enough to handle Gin-chan," agreed Kagura.

"Well, I guess I don't need to call anyone else then," said Sachan as she got up from Gintoki's desk.

"Hey, hold on a second," said Kyuubei suddenly. "You did say that Gintoki has been calling this girl several times in the last month, right?" she asked as she turned towards Kagura.

"Yeah, what about it?" she replied.

"Is it possible to see where the recent calls have been made to on that phone?" asked Kyuubei.

"I don't know, I don't really use the phone" Kagura replied honestly. "But if it is possible, I'm sure that Tama could do it."

"Yes, that would be a simple task," said Tama.

Kondo started to catch on to what Kyuubei was thinking. "Are you suggesting that we can discover who he's been stalking by finding out the girl's phone number?"

"Yeah, we'll just check who he's been calling non-stop in the last month," said Kyuubei simply.

"If it would help your investigation," Tama chimed in, "I could search through my database to find out who the phone number belongs to."

"That sounds great!" said Otae in delight. "Nice thinking, Kyu-chan. Now we won't have to worry about waiting for Gin-san to come home. We can just find out on our own."

Before anyone else could say another word, Shinpachi quickly picked up the telephone from the desk and held it over his head. Without a second thought, he threw the phone as hard as he could towards the nearest wall. The group simply stared in awe as the appliance was smashed into several pieces upon making contact.

"Um, it looks like the phone is broken," said Shinpachi with a blank look on his face.

"Um, Shin-chan? Why did you do that?" asked Otae, a little surprised at her brother's sudden actions.

"Do what?"

"Why did you smash Gin-san's telephone?"

"Oh, that? I didn't do that. It's always been like that." Shinpachi seemed to be ignoring the fact the he had just broken the phone himself. He was acting as if it had just happened out of nowhere.

"But we just saw you smash it…"

"No really, Gin-san's phone has always been a pile of scraps. It's always looked like that."

Kagura was currently sifting through what was left of the machine with a confused look on her face. She could hardly believe what had just happened.

"What the hell, Shinpachi!?" she yelled as she looked at the boy. "Why'd you do that? It's like you don't want us to find out about Gin-chan's girlfriend!"

Shinpachi simply stared back at her without saying a word. It turned out that she was right; Shinpachi had broken the phone for that very reason. Up to that point, he had been unable to do anything to stop the group from learning Gintoki's secret. He was starting to feel useless. He felt that if there were something that he could do to help Gintoki out at that point, he would do it. And for that reason, he had destroyed the phone.

_At least they won't be able to find out who his girlfriend is just yet _he thought to himself. _I've managed to keep it a secret for the time being._

"Now that you mention it," said Kondo suddenly, "it does kind of seem like Shinpachi isn't all that interested in this investigation."

"Hey, you're right," said Kyuubei as she started to think about it. "It does kind of seem like Shinpachi has been trying to convince us that Gintoki is not seeing some girl."

"Hey yeah," said Kagura. "He's been doing it all day now that I think about it."

Suddenly, the entire group turned their eyes to Shinpachi as he froze out of fear. _What's going on? Why are they becoming suspicious of me? I thought they were after Gin-san, so why is everyone looking at me? Has my act really been that noticeable? I was just trying to keep things from getting out of hand! Don't tell me they're after me now!_

"Is that true, Shinpachi? Do you not want us to find out about Gintoki?" asked Kyuubei.

"Why don't you want us to find out, Shinpachi!?" yelled Kagura.

"Shin-chan," said Otae in a gentle voice. "Is it possible…that you know something about Gin-san's girlfriend?"

The room immediately went dead silent. Everyone was staring intensely at the young man with glasses, awaiting his answer. The boy simply stood there in silence for a brief moment. Then it all happened in an instant.

Shinpachi immediately tried to make a run for the door while everyone else tried to stop him. He managed to dodge and weave his way through the small crowd and was able to actually make it to the doorway. However, Sachan was not willing to let the boy escape. She managed to tackle Shinpachi from behind and the boy landed flat on his stomach. It was not long before Sachan had him securely tied up in rope.

"You're going to tell me everything you know," she told the boy with a glare.

* * *

A few minutes later, Shinpachi was now confined to the living room couch. He had one set of ropes tied around his body, and another set keeping him tied down to the furniture. No matter how hard he tried, he could barely move. He had officially been captured.

"What are you guys doing?" he cried out to the group in front of him. "Why did you guys tie me to the couch? Was that really necessary?"

"You were trying to escape, what were we supposed to do?" asked Sachan as she crossed her arms.

Otae looked at her brother with a worried expression. "Shin-chan, why didn't you tell us you knew Gin-san's secret?"

"Yeah, why'd you keep it all to yourself, huh?" asked Kagura as she glared at the boy.

Shinpachi looked around the room and started to worry for his safety. "I only hid the truth because Gin-san asked me to!" he shouted. "He was the one that wanted to keep it from all of you. I was just keeping it a secret because he asked me to. That's the truth, now can you please let me go?"

"Like hell we're letting you go," said Sachan as she walked up to the boy. "We have a lot of questions that we need answered."

"What? You can't be serious!" Shinpachi shouted. "You're all just going to keep me tied up here?! There's no way all of you guys are ok with this, right? Sis, tell them you're not ok with this!"

Otae looked away from Shinpachi and answered him rather quietly. "Actually, Shin-chan, I'd kind of like to find out about Gin-san's girlfriend."

"What? SIS!" he yelled as he struggled against the ropes. It seemed like the ropes would not budge no matter how hard he tried. He was stuck. "So you guys are seriously going through with this? You're really going to make me your prisoner?"

To Shinpachi's dismay, the entire group didn't seem to care that he was tied up in front of them. Sachan and Kagura looked like they were happy that they had successfully captured him. Otae and Kyuubei looked as if they felt a little guilty, but were still willing to go along with it. Kondo and Catherine appeared as if they were simply doing their job in order to discover the secret. Tama and Hasegawa didn't really seem to know what was going on, but they weren't about to put a stop to it.

Shinpachi couldn't help but look at the floor and think about what he had previously told Gintoki. It was back when he had first learned of his secret.

_Seriously? You really think that your friends would go crazy upon hearing this?_

_You think they would keep calm if I told them I was dating a girl?_

_Well, maybe not that, but they definitely wouldn't go on a rampage or anything like that._

Shinpachi could only sigh as he looked at the situation he was in. If he could have held his palm to his face, he would have. _Could I have been any more wrong? I shouldn't have scolded Gin-san for being afraid to tell us. He was right to be afraid. Just look at how they're acting right now. It's unbelievable._

He looked up at the people in front of him. "Fine," he told them, "I'll be your prisoner. "But don't think you're going to get any information out of me. I promised Gin-san that I would keep his secret no matter what. I'm not saying a word!"

"So stubborn," said Sachan as she curiously looked at the boy. "Don't worry, we'll get the information out of you somehow."

Shinpachi rolled his eyes as he listened. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do? Torture me?" he asked her sarcastically.

"Torture? Hey, that's not a bad idea," said Sachan as she produced a kunai in her hand. "Now tell me what you know about that bitch!"

"AH! You're not really going to do that, are you? You can't! The chief of the Shinsengumi is right there! He won't let you get away with this! Right, Kondo-san? You won't let her hurt me, right?"

Kondo crossed his arms and looked at Shinpachi like he was being pathetic. "Oh, come on, Shinpachi. A few cuts and bruises is nothing to complain about, now is it? This experience will make a man out of you," he said, giving the boy a thumbs up.

"What are you giving me a thumbs up for? Can't you see how bad this is? It's going to be worse than a few cuts and bruises! This stalker is about to skin me alive!"

"Hey, if you're not going to talk about that bitch, then shut up. I'm willing to start the process if you have nothing to say," said Sachan as she pointed the kunai towards Shinpachi's chest.

"AH! NO WAIT! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

All of a sudden, the sound of someone knocking on the front door could be heard throughout the room. Sachan stopped what she was doing as she joined everyone in turning towards the hall.

"I'll get it," said Kagura.

* * *

Tsukuyo waited patiently outside of the Odd Jobs building as she tried to calm herself. She was scared of what she would find inside, but she was ready to enter. She was ready to find out just what exactly was going on.

Before long, the door slid open to reveal Kagura's smiling face. "Tsukky! You made it! Come on in, we were just getting to the good part."

"Good part? Kagura, just what exactly is going on in here?" she asked nervously as she entered the building. She started to follow the young girl down the hall.

"Well, today's been a pretty busy day," she explained. "We found out that Gin-chan has a girlfriend, and that he and Shinpachi have been hiding it from us this whole time! Can you believe that?"

_Yeah, actually, I can _thought Tsukuyo as she entered the main living space. To her surprise, there was a small crowd of familiar faces standing throughout the room. _Are they all here to find out about Gintoki and me? _she wondered as she looked around. _I can't believe all of these people are suspicious of us._

It was then that she noticed the young man sitting on the couch. "What the hell is going on over there!?" she shouted out of shock.

It seemed like Sachan had resumed her torture of Shinpachi and was once again holding a kunai to his chest. As he squirmed in his seat, Shinpachi managed to notice that Tsukuyo had finally arrived to the party. Out of desperation, he called out for her in his head. _Tsukuyo-san, please, help me!_

Kagura noticed what Tsukuyo was gawking at and decided to explain. "I told you that Shinpachi knows about Gin-chan's girlfriend. We're just getting some information out of him," she said innocently.

"Are you serious?" asked Tsukuyo, hardly believing what she was seeing. "This is ridiculous! You seriously tied him up? And now you're torturing him?"

"Well, yeah," answered Kagura. "It's the only way to get him to talk. Is that bad?"

Tsukuyo simply stared in horror at the poor kid. _I don't believe this. I really don't believe this. They're torturing Shinpachi just to get some information out of him? He's only keeping it a secret because Gintoki asked him to! It's not his fault! He's just keeping his promise! Is that so wrong? Are they that desperate for information?_

Tsukuyo decided that she couldn't take another second of what she was seeing. She walked right up to Sachan and snatched the kunai out of her hand. "That's enough," she said.

"Tsukky!?" cried Sachan out of anger. "What the hell? Give me that back! I was in the middle of something!"

"What the hell are you doing to this poor kid? Are you seriously torturing him?"

"Ugh, Tsukky, you just don't understand," said Sachan as she shook her head. "Listen, he's the only person besides Gin-san who-"

"I know all that!" snapped Tsukuyo as she held the kunai out of Sachan's reach. "So what if he knows the secret? Is that any reason to torture him? Are you all so desperate for information that you would hurt one of your friends!?"

Surprisingly enough, some of the group members actually started to show looks of guilt and shame. It seemed that Tsukuyo's words were getting to them. Even Sachan herself looked a little dismayed.

"Well, maybe this isn't the best way of doing things," she admitted, "but we don't have any other choice do we? He won't talk unless we do this."

Tsukuyo crossed her arms and looked at the Shinobi with disappointment. "You said on the phone that you were going to confront Gintoki about this when he came home, right? Just wait for him to get your precious information."

Sachan looked at the rest of the group and gave a sigh. "I guess you're right, we should have just done that instead of losing control. I won't torture him anymore."

Tsukuyo smiled upon hearing this. She was happy that she had finally stopped the group from doing something stupid. She took a quick look at Shinpachi and noticed that he was crying tears of joy. He mouthed the words "thank you" to the courtesan, leading her to wink at him in response.

"However," said Sachan suddenly, "I still think that we need to keep him tied up. We can't have him running around on his own."

A frown came to Tsukuyo's face as she looked at her. "Sarutobi, is that really necessary?"

"Yes, what if he runs off to warn Gin-san? Then we'll never be able find out what we want."

"You're right," agreed Kagura, "we need to make sure that he stays here."

"But-"

"Don't worry Tsukuyo-san," said Shinpachi suddenly from his place on the couch. "It's ok if I have to stay like this. I don't mind. As long as they're not torturing me, I can handle this," he said with a look of confidence.

Tsukuyo sighed and realized that she was not going to get her way. "Well, as long as you're ok with this," she told the boy.

The room fell silent for a moment before small conversations started to pick up between the group members. Sachan turned towards Tsukuyo as she spoke up. "Anyways, I'm glad you could make it Tsukky," she said with a friendly smile.

"Huh? Oh, sure," said Tsukuyo, suddenly remembering why she had come in the first place. It would seem that saving Shinpachi from his captors had distracted her from her fears. She began to once again feel nervous as she looked around the room.

"You're going to be a great help once Gin-san shows up," said Sachan as she patted her friend on the back. "Hey, if he tries to make an escape, do you think you could throw some kunai into his head like you always do?"

"Um, sure, I guess," said Tsukuyo as she looked away. She was attempting to blend in with the group, but her fears were starting to show in her tone.

Sachan gave her friend a confused look. "Is something wrong, Tsukky? You don't seem like you care too much about all of this. Don't you want to find out who this bitch is?"

Tsukuyo immediately jumped back from the woman and held her hands out in front of her. "What? Of course I want to find out! Why wouldn't I want to find out?"

Sachan gave Tsukuyo a weird look as she stared at her. "I don't know. You just seemed like you weren't that into it."

"What? Of course I'm into it! I'm dying to find out who Gintoki is dating! Just like you! I can't wait to find that bitch and end her!"

Kagura suddenly glanced over at the two women with curiosity. "Tsukky, are you ok? You're acting kind of weird."

Tsukuyo was about to defend herself once more when the room suddenly went silent at the sound of the front door sliding open. It seemed like everyone had stopped talking and was now frozen in place. They all had just realized the same thing: someone had just entered the building without knocking.

Before long, the group was able to hear the sound of someone walking down the hallway. It sounded as if they were heading straight for the main room. As if in unison, everyone's mind immediately started wondering the same thing. Was this it? Had Gintoki finally arrived?

A few seconds later, their questions were answered as a person appeared in the doorway. To everyone's surprise, it actually wasn't Gintoki. Instead, it was a young man dressed up in a black uniform with a sword at his side. He took one quick glance around the room before he looked back down the hallway.

"Hey, Hijikata-san, I found the chief. It turns out he was here after all."

Suddenly, another person appeared in the doorway, and he was dressed up just like the first. "I should have known that he would be here," he said with a sigh.

Everyone in the room immediately recognized the two men as the Shinsengumi officers, Okita Sogo and Hijikata Toshiro. They were completely surprised to see the duo show up as no one had been expecting them. The most interesting part was that they appeared to be staring straight at Kondo as if he had done something wrong.

"Toshi! Sogo! What are you guys doing here?" asked Kondo as he greeted his two men with a smile. He appeared to be happy to see them.

"We've been looking for you," said Hijikata in a dead-serious tone. "We figured you'd be at Otae's house like usual, but we were surprised to find that there was no one there. So we decided to come and see if you were here instead."

"What are you doing here, Kondo-san?" asked Sogo in an innocent yet curious voice.

"Well, you see," said Kondo, "we found out that guy Gintoki is stalking a girl! We're all going to find out who it is! Do you want to join us?"

Both of Kondo's officers could only give him blank stares as they listened. "That's what you're doing here?" asked Sogo, sounding a little disappointed.

Hijikata shook his head as he walked up to his chief. "Maybe you've forgotten, but today isn't a day off! We have a lot of work to do! We can't just let you go and goof off with stuff like this!" The vice-chief then went ahead and grabbed Kondo by the arm as he started pulling him out of the room.

"Huh? Wait, Toshi! Hold on a second! Don't you want to find out who he's seeing? Aren't you interested?"

"What do I care what that idiot does?" And with that, Hijikata dragged Kondo down the hall and made his way to the door.

Sogo followed behind and decided to comment on the situation. "So the boss found a girlfriend, huh? That's nice. Isn't that nice Hijikata-san?"

"Who cares?" grunted the vice-chief.

"At least he fell in love with a real woman instead of falling in love with mayonnaise like you."

"SHUT UP!"

And before anyone else could say another word, the trio was already out the door and on their way. The rest of the group could only stare after them in confusion at what they had just seen.

"What just happened?" asked Kagura.

"I guess the Gorilla is done for the day and isn't coming back," said Otae as she stared at the door.

"I guess so," said Sachan, slowly realizing that one of her soldiers had been taken away.

The group continued to stare at he door in silence for a couple more seconds when another sound grabbed their attention. They all turned around and looked at the window across from them just as someone new was climbing in through it. The person fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Kagura stared in disbelief at the sudden new arrival. "What the hell?" she said, recognizing the man. "Zura!?"

The man looked up at the group in front of him and said in the most serious expression, "It's not Zura, it's Katsura."

* * *

**Author: Once again, let's invite two characters to join with me for a chat! This time around it will be Sogo and Hijikata. Say hello guys!**

**Hijikata: Like hell I'm saying hello! What the hell is this?**

**Author: What? What's the problem?**

**Sogo: Hijikata is upset with the small amount of screen time we got in the story.**

**Author: Seriously? Come on, that's nothing to complain about.**

**Hijikata: We were only in the story for a couple of paragraphs and then you made us leave! And we're probably not going to be back for the rest of Book 1, are we!?**

**Author: Hey give me a break! I already have to deal with a ton of characters at the moment! I can't have you two thrown in too!**

**Hijikata: How is it our fault that you threw in too many characters? Is that our problem?**

**Sogo: You could probably just take some of the characters out. Some of them don't even seem to serve a purpose in this story.**

**Author: What? Don't say that! Every character serves a purpose in this story (I think).**

**Sogo: Some of the characters in this chapter didn't even have lines. They're just…there.**

**Author: So what? There's a lot going on right now. The story's priority is having the important characters say their lines first.**

**Hijikata: Important characters? So now you're saying that there's a division between important characters and unimportant characters?**

**Sogo: The author must really not care about us since we only got a few lines. We're unimportant characters.**

**Author: Now that's not true! The two of you need to calm down. You guys will get more screen time in the future.**

**Hijikata: Will we come back again before the end of Book 1?**

**Author: Um, probably not.**

**Sogo: Then will we get bigger roles in Book 2?**

**Author: Oh, Book 2? Um…well you see, it's not really looking like you guys are going to-**

**Hijikata: We're not going to be in Book 2 either!?**

**Sogo: What the hell, Author-san?**

**Author: …Hey look at that! It's time for me to go!**

**Hijikata: You can't just keep running away from this segment! It will get old!**

**Author: Leave a review, I'll see you all next chapter!**


	13. Book 1 - Chapter 13

**The Gintama anime is back! Woo-hoo! It was a hilarious episode too XD Between that and the One Piece chapter (783 O_O), this week was a pretty enjoyable one for me. Anyways, here's another really long chapter for you guys! Enjoy!**

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 13

Everybody inside of Odd Jobs Gin was currently staring in silence at the party's newest arrival. It was none other than the infamous Joi Patriot, Kotaro Katsura himself. To everyone's surprise, another person was soon climbing in through the window after him. The group continued to stare as the odd bird-like creature known as Elizabeth landed next to his leader.

It was then that the two of them stood up and took a glance around the room. An awkward silence seemed to have fallen as everyone continued to simply look at one another. Elizabeth decided to hold up one of his trademark signs in an effort to communicate with the group. It read simply, 'Um, is this a bad time?'

Shinpachi looked over from his place on the couch and decided to ask the question that was on everyone's mind. "Katsura-san, Elizabeth-san, what are you two doing here?"

"Ah, hello, Shinpachi," said Katsura as he raised his hand in greeting. He seemed to be happy that someone had broken the silence. "It's nice to see you. Might I ask, what are you doing sitting there all tied up?"

"It's…kind of a long story," replied the boy.

Kagura then decided to speak up. "Zura, please answer the question, what are you doing here?"

"Well, you see, Leader," said Katsura as he looked at the girl, "we came over here as soon as we heard about your dilemma concerning Gintoki."

"You mean Gin-chan's girlfriend?" asked Kagura with a slightly confused look. "But, how did you even find out about that? It's not like we called you or anything."

'We have our ways' said Elizabeth through a signboard.

"One of our scouts found out about your investigation and reported it to us earlier today," said Katsura with a confident grin.

Shinpachi gave the two a look of complete disbelief. "You used your scouts to find out about something like this? I thought you were supposed to be fighting for the sake of this country!"

"Now, now, Shinpachi," said Katsura as he shook his head. "You're too young and naive. You just wouldn't understand the ways of us nationalists."

"You're right! I don't understand!" shouted Shinpachi out of frustration. "Besides, where have you two been this whole time? I thought you said you came as soon as you heard about this!"

"Ah, yes, we were waiting on standby."

"What? Standby!? So you were just sitting outside the whole time like you always do? Don't you guys ever do anything productive?"

"Well, we couldn't just come in while the Shinsengumi chief was hanging around, now could we?"

"Hey, don't ignore my question! You guys are just messing around, aren't you!?"

"Anyways," said Katsura, "as one of Gintoki's closest friends, I decided that I must come here and introduce myself to his new girlfriend. It's only the polite thing to do."

"Are you guys asking if you can join us?" asked Kagura as she looked at them.

'If you will allow it' said Elizabeth.

The group glanced around at each other for a moment before Sachan made the call. "We don't care if you join us," she said casually. "You guys can take the Gorilla's place since he's gone now."

"Really? That's great!" said Katsura with an excited voice. "Oh man, this takes me back. I remember that Gintoki used to have a couple of lady-friends back in the day. I can't wait to find out who he has taken a liking to this time. We'll help you guys find out as soon as he gets here. That's the plan, right?"

"Yeah, that's it," said Kagura.

"Sorry, we couldn't help but overhear everything while we waited," he said with a small laugh. He then took another quick glance around the room before he looked away. The smile slowly faded from his face. "It's honestly a shame that it had to come to this though. I can't believe that Gintoki wanted to hide this from us. It just isn't right; there shouldn't be any secrets between comrades."

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo couldn't help but look down to the floor out of guilt. _I'm starting to feel kind of bad about this _she thought. _It seems like they are all really upset that Gintoki has been keeping this a secret. Maybe we should have just told them from the start instead of hiding it. After all, aren't they our friends? I can't help but feel like this whole situation is entirely my fault…_

As Tsukuyo was starting to feel ashamed, Shinpachi suddenly decided to speak up and defend Gintoki's actions. "Now hold on a minute, what's the big deal if Gin-san wants to keep his relationship a secret? He doesn't have any obligation to tell you guys anything. He has every right to keep it private if he wants. Why do you guys care if he's seeing someone?"

The group was silent for a second before Otae looked to her brother. "Well, we're Gin-san's friends aren't we? Don't we have a right to know what he's up to?"

"Yeah," said Sachan in a defensive tone. "We don't hide anything from him, so why is he hiding this from us? Why doesn't he want us to find out, huh!?"

"Face it, Shinpachi, we all have our own reasons for wanting to find out about this girl," said Kyuubei as she bowed her head.

"Yeah? Well you know what I think?" asked Shinpachi as he looked at the girls in front of him with a scowl. "I think that the only reason you guys want to know is because you're all _jealous_."

The whole room seemed to go quiet upon hearing this. Everyone turned to face the three women who had just been accused of having feelings for the samurai. Surprisingly, Otae and Kyuubei slightly blushed as they looked away from the boy.

"W-what are you talking about, Shin-chan?" asked Otae nervously. "W-why would we be jealous?"

"Yeah," said Kyuubei, "why would we want to go out with that idiot? There's no appeal in that."

Sachan, however, simply glared at the boy and shouted at the top of her lungs. "OF COURSE I'M JEALOUS! HOW'S COME SOME RANDOM BITCH GETS TO GO OUT WITH GIN-SAN AND I DON'T!? WHAT'S UP WITH THAT, HUH!?"

As Sachan continued screaming her head off, Hasegawa quietly leaned over towards Tama, who stood next to him. "Um, I thought this was some sort of welcome party," he whispered to the robot girl. "Now I'm just really confused. I've had no idea what's been going on since I got here."

"Me neither," she whispered back with a small smile. "But it's kind of fun, isn't it? Watching them all go crazy with worry. It's kind of cute in a way. Don't you agree, Catherine-sama?"

The cat-like girl simply let out a puff of air as she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. "I honestly don't care about any of this," she said. "I'm just here to find out who's the dumb bitch going out with that idiot. As soon as I find out, I'm leaving."

Soon enough, the other girls were doing their best to calm Sachan down from her sudden outrage. After all, there was no point in being worked into a frenzy at that point in time.

"Save your energy for when Gin-san gets here," said Otae calmly as she put a hand upon the Shinobi's shoulder.

"Yes, let's try to relax until then, shall we?" said Katsura as he sat down on the couch next to Shinpachi. He didn't seem to mind sitting next to the boy, even though he was obviously the group's convicted prisoner.

As the group started to settle down, Kagura came and leaned over the armrest of the couch so that she was facing Katsura. "Hey, Zura," she said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Fire away, Leader."

"Is it really true that Gin-chan used to go out with girls?"

"Yep, you better believe it. If I remember correctly, there were a quite a few girls that he had crushes on back in the day."

Shinpachi suddenly took an interest in what the man sitting next to him was saying. "Wow, seriously? I never knew that," he said.

"No surprise there," said Katsura. "There's no doubt that Gintoki tried to keep that a secret too. Hey, I'd bet you kids would like to hear some stories about his past girlfriends. You'd like to hear that, wouldn't you?"

At the mention of this, Kagura's face lit up in excitement and even Shinpachi looked curious. The rest of the group also quieted down as they started to listen to the young veteran. Tsukuyo also listened in, as she was interested in the subject as well.

"Well, let's see," he said, putting his hand to his chin as he started to recollect his memory. "The one that I remember the most about would probably be the beautiful young lady known as Anise."

A smile came to Kagura's face as she listened to the story. "Anise?" she asked excitedly. "Who was she? What did she look like?"

"Now, now, calm down and let me tell the story," said Katsura with a modest smile. "I'm sure you kids are going to love to hear this story. It was back during the time of the Joi war. It all started when our group took a little trip to the red light district-"

"Hold on a second!" screamed Shinpachi from his seat next to Katsura. "The red light district!? Are you sure this is something you should be telling us about!? Aren't we a little too young to hear about this sort of thing!?"

"Oh, don't worry, Shinpachi," said Katsura with a confident look. "You two are plenty old enough to hear about this. So anyways, we had stopped in the red light district and we were going to take the opportunity to enjoy ourselves-"

"I seriously don't think that we should be listening to this!"

Katsura just ignored the boy and continued telling his story. "So, we all ended up choosing women for ourselves that we found suitable. However, a problem arose when Gintoki and our former comrade Takasugi chose the same girl! At first, it seemed like a fight was going to break out between the two, but the girl ended up settling things by deciding that she would rather spend the evening with Takasugi. Gintoki was so upset that he ended up leaving the place and wandering off on his own. That was when he met Anise."

"What was she like?" asked Kagura as she daydreamed about the story.

"Anise? She was a very kind young lady who was also a very hard and dedicated worker."

"What kind of work did she do?" asked Otae out of curiosity.

"Oh, she was a prostitute."

"A prostitute!?" shouted Shinpachi, taking on his straight man role. "Gin-san dated a prostitute back in the day? Is that where his interests lied back then!? And what do you mean by hard and dedicated worker? How dedicated was this prostitute?"

"What's a prostitute?" asked Kagura in an innocent voice.

"Ah, well you see, a prostitute is someone who-"

"Don't tell her what a prostitute is!" Shinpachi screamed towards Katsura. "Just skip it and get back to the story!"

"Oh, right, the story. So Gintoki ended up taking a liking to the lovely maiden known as Anise. He fell in love with her and actually started going out with her for a short while, but sadly, it wasn't long before he broke up with her."

"Why? What happened?" asked Kagura.

"Gintoki ended up finding out that she was sleeping with several other men aside from him."

"Well of course she was!" shouted Shinpachi once again. "Wasn't she a prostitute after all!? Wasn't that her job!?"

"Gintoki was also unhappy that he had to keep paying just to spend time with her."

"He had to keep paying!? Were they even in a relationship in the first place!? Are you sure you didn't just imagine their relationship inside of your head!?"

Kagura tilted her head to the side as she thought about the story. "So, Gin-chan is really into these 'prostitute' kind of girls, huh? Do you think that's what his new girlfriend is like?"

"Wait a minute," said Otae as she put a hand to her forehead. "The woman Gin-san is dating now is another prostitute?"

"Of course!" shouted Sachan as she clenched her fists. "I should have known that this bitch was also a slut! I'll bet she doesn't even like Gin-san! She's probably just using him for her own personal reasons! That whore!"

Tsukuyo just quietly stood in the corner as she listened to the insults that were starting to be thrown out. She heard the words 'slut', 'bitch', and many other names called out several times for Gintoki's new girlfriend. Tsukuyo didn't want to accept it, but she knew deep down that they were actually talking about her. They were insulting their own friend right in front of them and they didn't even know it.

_I feel horrible _she thought as she looked to the floor. _They're only acting like this because we kept our relationship a secret. I guess I never realized how upset I was making everyone by going out with Gintoki. I never really asked anyone if they were ok with it, I kind of just did what I wanted to do. I didn't think about what anyone else wanted. I was only thinking about myself. Was that wrong? Was it selfish of me to want to go out with Gintoki?_

Tsukuyo then lifter he head up towards the group in front of her and felt a bit of guilt. _It was never like this before. Not because of me anyway. They all used to get along and smile and laugh. Now they're all upset and about ready to kill someone. And it's all because of me._

_Maybe…maybe everyone would just be better off…if me and Gintoki weren't in a relationship at all…_

And with that, the group continued to insult and criticize the poor girl who stood in the corner while she went ahead and placed all of the blame on herself…

* * *

It was not long before evening arrived and the sun had started to set. Gintoki was on his way home after a long afternoon at work and he was clearly tired. He was still grumbling about not having any help that day, and he was planning on lecturing Shinpachi and Kagura the first chance he got.

Once he arrived at the building where he lived, he slowly climbed up the stairs and made his way to the front door. He went ahead and opened it and was surprised to find Sadaharu waiting just inside the doorway. He stared at Gintoki as if he had been awaiting his arrival.

"Arf!" he cried with his tongue hanging out.

Gintoki was still tired and didn't really want to deal with the dog at that moment. "Get out of the way, would you? I'm exhausted and I just want to relax."

He entered the building and started walking down the hallway when Sadaharu suddenly clamped onto Gintoki's arm. The dog pulled back with all of his might to prevent the man from going any further.

"Let go, you damn mutt!" yelled Gintoki as he tried to free his arm. "What's the matter with you? Can't I just enter my own house in peace?"

Gintoki managed to pull his arm out of the dog's jaws and quickly held it away from him. Sadaharu then started barking continuously at the samurai in front of him.

Gintoki just gave him a weird look as he turned around and started walking again. "Geez, stupid dog. What the hell was that about? It's like you don't want me to enter the house or something. Well, whatever. It's been a long day and I just want to sit down and read Jump, ok? Sheesh."

Sadaharu simply shook his head as he watched his master walk away. He had tried to warn the poor man, but he just wouldn't listen.

Gintoki arrived at the closed door that led to the main room and paused. As he stood there, he could suddenly hear voices coming from inside. It didn't just sound like Shinpachi and Kagura either; it sounded like it was quite a few different people.

_What the hell? What's going on in there? Did Gran come to collect the rent or something? _And with that, Gintoki's curiosity got the best of him. He quickly slid open the door and received the biggest surprise of his life.

Standing in different places throughout his living room were most of his friends. His mouth immediately fell open out of shock as he looked at all of them. It was not long before they all noticed his presence in return and the entire room went dead silent.

Gintoki had only a brief moment to look around and take everything in. Kagura was there. Otae, Kyuubei, and Sachan were all there. Shinpachi was there and was tied down to the couch with ropes. The two girls who worked downstairs were there. The Madao was there. Katsura and his pet were there. The biggest surprise of all was that his girlfriend was there. Gintoki managed to notice all of this in just a split second. It was then that the questions started.

"Gin-chan, why didn't you tell us you had a girlfriend?"

"Gin-san! Who's the bitch you're going out with!? Tell me right now!"

"Gin-san, how long have you been seeing this girl?"

"Gintoki, how long have you been taking advantage of this girl?"

Gintoki was utterly speechless as he heard his secret being tossed around like it was common knowledge. Beads of sweat started to show on his face as he became extremely nervous. He wasn't quite sure what was going on right at that moment. All he knew was that he was suddenly scared for his life.

He quickly put his hands up in front of him in an effort to get the group to calm down. "N-now hold on a second," he managed to stutter. "W-what are you all t-talking about?"

"Gin-chan, we're asking about your girlfriend. Now tell us about her," said Kagura in a very serious and demanding expression. It was clear that she really wanted to learn about this secret and would be willing to do anything to get it out of him at that point.

Gintoki, however, was still a few steps behind. "W-what? A girlfriend? Y-you mean m-me?" he said as he pointed to himself. "Come on, you guys know I don't have any-"

It was then that Gintoki noticed Shinpachi out of the corner of his eye. The boy simply stared at him and spoke in a barely audible tone.

"Gin-san, they _know_."

It was then that Gintoki fully realized that everyone in the room was aware of the fact that he was indeed going out with a girl. A sense of fear was felt running throughout his body as he pictured what was going to happen to him in the next instant. He then attempted to do the only logical thing that his brain could think of in his current situation. He turned around and tried to make a run for it.

The others, however, had been expecting this long before Gintoki had even arrived at all. They knew that he would probably try something like this, and they weren't about to let him get away. Gintoki had barely even taken a few steps before Kagura had grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground. She then started dragging him back towards the room using all of her strength.

Amidst the struggle, Gintoki somehow managed to notice that Sadaharu was sitting in the exact spot where he had left him. Out of desperation, he held his arms out in front of him and cried for help. "Sadaharu! Please, save me! Save your beloved master! Can't you see he needs you!?"

The dog only looked at the man with a disappointed expression as if to say, 'I tried to warn you.'

"You damn mutt! See if I ever feed you again! Ah!" he screamed as he was violently dragged into the room by several people at the same time.

"Quick, put him on the couch!" shouted Sachan. "I'll bind him with my ropes so he can't go anywhere!"

"Right!" shouted Kagura as she practically threw the poor samurai to the seat. The group managed to hold him in place long enough for Sachan to permanently confine him there. Within a few seconds, Gintoki found himself in the exact same situation as Shinpachi.

"What the hell are you guys doing!?" he screamed as he struggled against the ropes. "Why am I tied down to the damn couch? Let me go, would ya?"

"Don't even bother, Gin-san," said Shinpachi with a sigh. "They know your secret. They're not going to let you go until you tell them what they want to know. Trust me, I've been like this all day."

"Seriously? You've got to be kidding me!" shouted Gintoki as he continued to fight with the ropes that bound him. He looked over to the boy next to him. "I was only gone for a few hours! What the hell happened? How did they find out!?"

"It wasn't my fault! Honest! Everyone was suspicious of you since this morning, and one thing just led to another! I couldn't even do anything to stop it! I really tried too! But just look at what they did to me! They're an unstoppable force, Gin-san!"

Gintoki stopped struggling for a moment as he started to realize the full extent of the situation he was in. "Damn it," he said. "So it's really come to this, huh?"

Gintoki looked up at the group and noticed that some of them seemed kind of amused by his frantic struggling behavior. Some of them even looked like they were fighting back laughter. This only seemed to piss Gintoki off even more than he already was.

_Grrr, why are those idiots laughing? Is it really that funny watching me desperately squirm around here?_

He quickly took a moment to stare at Tsukuyo as she stood in the corner away from the rest crowd. She looked at him with a slightly worried expression before her eyes then fell towards the floor. _I wonder when she got here _he thought with a curious expression. _She must have ended up getting dragged into this by the others. They must not know that she's the one going out with me._

As he continued to stare at Tsukuyo, Gintoki started to notice something. She was keeping to herself and looked like she felt really bad about something. _Something is off. She seems like she's kind of upset, but she won't look at me to let me know what's up. I hope that she hasn't had a hard time being here…_

His thoughts were then interrupted as Katsura placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a soft smile. "Congratulations on landing a new girlfriend, Gintoki. How's come you didn't tell us until now?"

It seemed like Katsura's sudden words had managed to gather everyone's attention. They all stopped their giggling and started to focus on their new prisoner once again.

"That's right, Gin-chan," said Kagura as she crossed her arms. "We want to know everything that you've been hiding from us. Perhaps you would be willing to share?"

Gintoki simply gave the girl a blank stare before he gave a small chuckle. "Like hell I'm going to do that. You guys think that I'm just going to tell you everything now that you have me tied up here? Well, tough luck. I'm not saying a word."

Kagura growled out of agitation with the man in front of her. "Damn it, Gin-chan! How long do you plan on keeping this a secret? Just look at yourself! You can't hide it any longer. We know you're dating some girl, now tell us who she is!"

"Do whatever you want, I'm not talking," said Gintoki with a look of indifference.

Sachan then stepped up to the samurai and gave him a scowl. "Haven't you played with my emotions long enough? We have a right to know about this bitch that you've been seeing. I don't want to do this, but if this is what it takes, I'm willing to torture the both of you to get the information out."

Tsukuyo's head perked up upon hearing this. _No way, she's going to try that again? Shit, I can't let her do this to them! They don't deserve this. I've got to stop her! But then again, will I even be able to stop her this time? The group is getting desperate; they're not going to listen to me! What should I do? How do I stop them?_

It was then that Tsukuyo realized her last true option. She didn't want to accept it, but she slowly came to the conclusion that she had no other choice. It was the only way to save the two men at that point.

Meanwhile, Shinpachi started screaming as he was overcome with fear. "Torture!? I thought you said you weren't going to do that anymore!"

"I know, but what are we supposed to do?" asked Sachan as she glared at the boy. "We tried being nice, but you guys just wouldn't give in. But now we're going to make you give in. I'm not going to stop until you tell us what we want to hear."

"Wait, is she being serious!?" screamed Gintoki as he started to struggle against the ropes again. "I knew it! I knew you idiots would act like this! You're completely out of control!"

"This has gone on long enough," said Kagura as she started cracking her knuckles. "I've been waiting to hear this secret all day. I'm going to make you talk now, Gin-chan. I think I'll start by punching you in the face one hundred times."

Sachan started to approach Shinpachi with a kunai in her hand. "I'll start by cutting the boy to ribbons," she said.

"AH! You can't be serious!" the two men cried in unison.

"Are you going to talk?" asked Kagura as she started winding up her arm, ready to swing.

"Hell no!" screamed Gintoki, still fighting desperately to keep his secret safe.

"Ok then, here we go-"

"Kagura! Sarutobi! Stop!" cried a voice from the back of the room.

The two girls froze in place as the owner of the voice suddenly appeared in front of them. It was Tsukuyo, and she was standing in between the women and the prisoners with her arms up in defense. Everyone in the room looked at the girl out of confusion.

"Tsukky? What are you-"

"Please, just…stop this," she said in a desperate and pleading tone. "They don't deserve this. They're not the ones you want. I'm sorry, but I can't take this any longer."

Kagura gave the courtesan a confused look as she spoke up. "Tsukky, what are you talking about?" she asked.

Tsukuyo looked down to the floor and gave a sigh. "The truth is…the one that you have been looking for all this time…is me. I am the one who has been going out with Gintoki."

* * *

**Author: A quick announcement! This is the second to last chapter of Book 1! Wow, I can't believe how far I've come. Anyways, I should be wrapping everything up in the next chapter (hopefully), so please look forward to it! And as always, here is a Gintama character for me to chat with. Here's Zura!**

**Zura: It's not Zura, it's Katsura.**

**Author: Yeah, yeah, I understand. I'll call you Katsura from now on.**

**Zura: Hey! Don't just call me by that name! Change the way you write my name too!**

**Author: Huh? Oh, right.**

**Katsura: There, that's better. So, the Book 1 finale is next chapter, eh?**

**Author: Yeah, I'm really excited to start wrapping things up.**

**Katzura: Yes, it is probably for the best that this horrible story comes to a close.**

**Author: What? Horrible? It's not horrible! And it's not ending yet, either! There's still plenty more Books to come after this one!**

**Catzura: You plan on writing more? That's just going make this story a bigger disaster than it already is.**

**Author: Oh, shut up. In my eyes, this story is only going to get better and better!**

**Catzora: Yeah right, I doubt that- Hey! What have you been doing to my name!?**

**Author: Huh? What do you mean?**

**Catzoorah: You've completely messed up my name! It's hardly anything like it was before!**

**Author: I…I have no idea what you're talking about…**

**Cat-Zorua: Don't lie! You know what you're doing! And why is there a Pokemon in my name now!?**

**Author: …I'm pretty sure that's always been in your name…**

**Cat-Zoroark: What the hell? Now the Pokemon evolved! This is getting ridiculous!**

**Author: You're right, time to wrap things up. Goodbye everyone! Please leave me a review and look forward to the next chapter, the Book 1 Finale!**


	14. Book 1 - Chapter 14

**Thank you all so much for reading my story. Thank you to all who review, favorite and follow. It is always the stuff like this that encourages me to keep writing. I really appreciate reading everything you guys have to say, so thank you! Now here is the final chapter of Book 1. Enjoy!**

Silver Moon – Book 1 Chapter 14

"_The truth is…the one that you have been looking for all this time…is me. I am the one who has been going out with Gintoki."_

The whole room was staring at the courtesan with their mouths hanging open. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. The culprit that they had been looking for all this time now stood right in front of them. In fact, she had been right in front of them for most of the afternoon and they had not even realized it. They had never thought that the 'bitch' that was going out with Gintoki would actually be one of their friends.

Tsukuyo was simply staring at the floor, afraid to look up and see the reactions of her friends. Her secret was finally out and she was starting to fear the worst. However, she did not regret her actions. She had just managed to save Gintoki and Shinpachi from a horrible fate even though it had come with a high price.

Gintoki and Shinpachi were also shocked to hear Tsukuyo reveal the truth to everyone just like that. They had not expected her to jump in and save them at the last second with that desperate move. Deep down, the both of them were glad that she had intervened, but at the same time, they were also worried for the poor girl's fate.

What was going to happen to her now that the truth was out?

Kagura was the first one to gather her thoughts and speak up. "Tsukky, it…it was you?" she asked as she looked at the courtesan. "But, why?"

Tsukuyo slowly looked up at the young girl in front of her and was surprised to find that she actually looked kind of hurt. Her eyes reflected the light heartbroken emotion that she was feeling inside. Tsukuyo once again felt a sense of guilt for keeping the secret for so long.

"I…I don't understand," said Kagura in an upset voice. "If it's true that you're Gin-chan's new girlfriend, then why…why didn't you tell us?"

"Kagura, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," said Tsukuyo, feeling horrible about the whole situation. "Truly, everyone, I am sorry. This entire thing is all my fault. If anyone should be blamed for this mess, it should be me."

Upon hearing this, Gintoki started to get worried. _Wait, what the hell is she saying? Is she trying to take all of the blame by herself? Why is she doing that? Doesn't she realize that I'm partially responsible for all of this? What the hell is she thinking?_

Tsukuyo took a deep breath and looked around at everyone in the room. "Here is the truth," she said. "Gintoki and Shinpachi didn't actually cause any of this. It was all me. I was even the one who convinced Gintoki to go out with me. He honestly had nothing to do with it," she lied.

"I was also the one who wanted to keep the relationship a secret. You see, I didn't want anyone else finding out so that I could keep Gintoki all to myself. These two only kept the secret from you because I asked them to. They were simply respecting my wishes."

Tsukuyo then pulled out a kunai and approached the two men who were still tied to the couch. "Both Gintoki and Shinpachi are completely innocent," she said as she cut away the ropes that held them down. "Please, let them go. It's not their fault that all of you were left in the dark. It is my own."

Gintoki could not believe what he was hearing. He slowly lifted his arms up from the limp threads and attempted to intervene. "Tsukuyo, what are you-"

"Please, just be quiet, Gintoki," said Tsukuyo in a rather tired voice. The last thing she wanted right then was for him to interfere. "This has gone on long enough, don't you think? It is time for me to pay for my crimes."

Gintoki simply stared at her, not quite sure what to say. He couldn't believe that she was about to take the responsibility for everything all by herself.

In response, Tsukuyo simply stared back at him with a small smile. _I understand how you feel, Gintoki. You don't want me to do this all alone, but it's ok. I really don't mind. To be honest, I'm grateful for the time that the two of us spent together. I know it wasn't a lot, but it was enough to make me happy. And in the end, that's good enough for me. I'm willing to take the fall for the both of us. I know that you probably won't like it, but trust me as I smile at you right now. I'm happy to do this for you. After all, you've already done so much for me. I don't know what they're going to do to me, but I'll be fine. I'll never forget the time we spent together. Thank you for everything, Gintoki._

Tsukuyo then turned around and faced the group that had unknowingly been hunting her down all day. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. "I'll accept the punishment for my crimes now," she told them sincerely.

In response, the group was completely silent. No one knew what to say. It felt like Tsukuyo's revelation had just come out of nowhere. No one had been expecting it, and it had caught them all off-guard.

The first person to eventually speak was once again Kagura. All she was able to say was, "G-Gin-chan, is what Tsukky said true?"

Gintoki simply sighed as he got up from the couch and slowly made his way towards Tsukuyo. He stood in front of her and faced the crowd. "It's true," he said. "Tsukuyo is the one I have been seeing all this time."

He gave a slight pause as he let the truth sink in. "However," he continued, "she is lying about the details. She never made me go out with her. I was actually the one who made her go out with me. I was the one who talked her into it. I was also the one who told her to keep it a secret. I even made Shinpachi keep it a secret too. All of this took place because of me. Tsukuyo had hardly anything to do with it. She only went along with whatever I asked her to do."

Gintoki then gave the crowd a small grin as he got to the point. "What she said just now, it's all lies. She's only trying to cover for me. Tsukuyo is actually the one who is completely innocent. After all, I was the one who started this mess. So if you're going to punish someone for this, it should be me," he said, pointing to himself with his thumb.

Before anyone could even say anything to this, Tsukuyo immediately spoke up. "Now hold on a second, Gintoki. What do you think you're doing taking all the blame by yourself? I just told everyone that it was actually me who caused all of this. Not you!"

"Stop lying already," said Gintoki, shaking his head. "Everyone knows the truth. It's obvious that I'm really the one at fault here. I mean, just look at everyone's faces. They look like they're about to beat the crap out of me. You know, since it's my fault and all."

"Like hell! If they're going to beat anybody up, it's clearly going to be me! After all, it's really all my fault!"

"Shut up, you damn woman! I already told you it's all my fault!"

"No, it's my fault!"

"No, it's mine!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Eventually, Tsukuyo let out a sigh and shook her head. "You're just not going to let me get away with this, are you? Well, fine. I guess we'll both just have to take the blame for this then."

Gintoki also let out a sigh. "Only because I know you're not going to me get away with it either. But if that's the way it has to be…"

"Very well then," said Tsukuyo, continuing to shake her head. She wasn't exactly happy that Gintoki was interfering like this, but deep down she was actually glad that she didn't have to do this alone. She then gave the samurai a small smile and held out her hand to him. "I'm willing to take responsibility for my feelings if you are," she said sincerely.

Gintoki smiled as he recognized his own words from the past. It was the exact same thing he had told Tsukuyo right before he had asked her out. He slowly reached out and held her hand in his own. "It's a deal," he said.

The couple, now willing to share the responsibility between them, turned to face the group. "All right, we're ready. Do whatever you want with us," challenged Gintoki.

The group was silent for a moment. They no longer had faces of shock or confusion. If anything, it almost seemed like most of them had faces of understanding.

"Gin-san, we're not going to do anything to you," said Otae, giving him a small smile.

"Huh? You're not?"

Sachan let out a disappointed sigh and quietly answered the man. "No, we're not going to punish you two."

"What? But, why?" asked Tsukuyo, a little confused. "I mean, I thought that you guys were really upset with me."

"Originally, we were," said Otae.

"But then, we found it was actually you," said Kyuubei.

"We didn't realize we were about to attack one our closest friends," said Sachan, looking a little guilty.

"We just didn't want to be left in the dark. We just wanted to know what was going on," said Kagura.

Tsukuyo stared at all of them, hardly believing what she was hearing. "Wait a minute. So you guys are all okay with this? You're really not going to kill us?"

"Of course not, we would never do anything like that to you guys," said Otae.

"Yeah, we just wanted to know the secret," said Kagura, looking like she felt kind of bad.

"And believe it or not," interrupted Katsura from behind, "some of us were just here to meet the nice young lady. Not everyone came here to kill you, you know?"

"Yeah, I thought this was some kind of welcome party!" shouted Hasegawa from across the room.

"Are you still on about that?" asked Shinpachi, who was still sitting on the couch.

Tsukuyo looked around, still having a hard time believing what was happening. "So you're really all okay with this? Even you, Sarutobi? I mean, I'm really sorry. I know how much you like Gintoki and all."

"Oh, shut up, Tsukky!" shouted Sachan, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Please don't apologize to me. If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I called you all of those horrible names right in front of you. I never even realized that I was talking about you! I'm such a horrible friend! How can you ever forgive me?"

Tsukuyo gave her friend a small smile of sympathy and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Sarutobi. No hard feelings. I should have just told you we were going out in the first place. If I had just done that, you wouldn't have gotten so upset."

"Oh, Tsukky, you're such a good friend," said Sachan, fighting back the tears. "And I was so mean too. How could I possibly be mad at you? I'm sorry, I truly am."

"It's okay, Sarutobi, I know you didn't mean what you said earlier."

"Um, no. She definitely meant what she said back there," said Shinpachi, remembering the girl's intense outrage.

"Shut up, glasses!" yelled the ninja.

"Hey, you wear glasses too!"

Upon hearing this, the whole room broke out into light laughter. It seemed like everyone was starting to return to how they normally behaved. They were once again a happy and cheerful group of friends.

"Anyways," said Otae, "it's hard to stay mad at such a cute young couple."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Gintoki, starting to blush a little.

"Oh, you know, Gintoki," said Katsura, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You two were so cute when you were trying to take the punishment for each other."

"Shut up! I was only trying to keep the bloodshed to a minimum!"

'It's funny when he's trying to hide his feelings' said Elizabeth through a signboard.

"Shut up you damn bird!"

"Anyways," said Katsura, turning to Tsukuyo. "Congratulations on becoming Gintoki's new girlfriend. I hope you two are very happy together. By the way, have you heard the story about his old girlfriend, Anise?"

"Um, yeah, I've already heard all about her," said Tsukuyo. "You know, I was actually here when you told the story."

"Wait a minute," said Gintoki, sounding surprised. "You heard about Anise? How the hell did you find out about her?"

"Zura told us," said Kagura.

"Damn it, Zura! Were you telling stories again!?"

"Anyways, Tsukky, I hope you're going to take good care of Gin-chan. He's kind of a handful, you know?"

"Thank you, Kagura, I'll keep that in mind," said the courtesan.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? You know how much of an idiot this guy is, right?" asked Catherine as she walked up to Tsukuyo.

"Oh, he's not all that bad," she said with a smile. "He has his good points to him."

"Whatever. You really need a better taste in men. Well, anyway, good luck. You're definitely going to need it," said Catherine as she started walking towards the door.

Tama began to follow her out and gave a wave to Gintoki as she walked. "Thank you for having us, Gintoki-sama! I'll be sure to tell Otose-sama everything I learned today!"

Gintoki gave her a small wave goodbye before pausing. "Wait, did she just say she was going to tell Gran?"

Hasegawa then walked up to the samurai and gave him a pat on the back. "Congrats on getting a new girlfriend, Gin-san. Now that you have one, make sure you get a good job and earn a lot of money. Otherwise, she might end up leaving you and you'll end up out on the streets."

"That's not going to happen," said Gintoki, clearly not worried. "Wait a sec, isn't that what happened to you?"

"Be careful, Gin-san. You can never be too sure. You might just end up losing everything before you know it." And with that, Hasegawa also walked out of the room.

"I'm not going to end up like you!" Gintoki shouted after him. "I'm not going to be a Madao!"

Gintoki then looked over to Tsukuyo and noticed that she was talking with Otae, Kyuubei and Sachan.

"I was almost sure that Gintoki was seducing some innocent young girl, but it turned out to just be you. Now I don't have to worry, because I know that you can take care of yourself."

"Um, thank you, Kyuubei," said Tsukuyo, not quite sure how to respond.

"Well, I can't say I'm completely happy about all of this," said Sachan, slowly returning to her normal self. "Personally, I'd rather be the one who's going out with Gin-san. But if I had to choose someone other than me…I guess I'd be okay with you."

"Thank you, Sarutobi. I was hoping you wouldn't be too upset with me."

"It's okay, I'll just have to wait for the two of you to eventually break up! Then I'll have Gin-san all to myself!" said Sachan with an evil grin.

Tsukuyo gave a small laugh upon hearing that. "Fine, when that day comes, he's all yours."

"I look forward to it," she said, looking determined.

Gintoki then interrupted the conversation by walking up to the girls. "I'm glad this is all over," he said, looking around the room. "I had a feeling something like this was going to happen eventually, but it's finally over. I hope this never happens again."

"You know, Gin-san, we wouldn't have freaked out so much if you had just told us the truth in the beginning," said Otae, clearly avoiding the blame.

"I have my doubts about that," said Shinpachi as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

_A few days later…_

Gintoki and Tsukuyo were standing on the front porch of the Odd Jobs building. They were gently leaning against the railing as they stared up to the sky. The sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon, turning the sky into a light shade of orange. The couple quietly conversed with each other as they looked at the beautiful scenery in front of them.

In the past few days, the two of them had made every effort to inform everyone (who didn't already know) about their relationship. They had tried to make sure that no one was left out so that the secret was officially out in the open. They were no longer afraid to hide it. They just wanted to get it over with by letting everyone know the truth.

And in just a few days, they had done it. All of their friends now knew that they were officially going out with each other. They could finally relax and stop worrying about how people would react. It was officially over.

"Anyways," said Gintoki, "Gran wanted me to tell you that she's having a small welcome dinner for you. She said she wants to get to know more about you or something."

"Well that's very nice of her," said Tsukuyo with a small smile.

"She says that we're supposed to be there or else she's raising the rent," he said with a groan. "Honestly, why does she have to interfere in everything? She's just as bad as everyone else."

"Calm down, Gintoki," said Tsukuyo, turning to face him. "Let her do what she wants. After all, she's only trying to be nice. Besides, this dinner sounds kind of fun."

"Whatever you say," said Gintoki, shaking his head. "Anyways, she seems really happy about us for some reason. I have no idea why either. Stupid old hag."

Gintoki paused for a moment before he glanced towards Tsukuyo. "By the way, how did the others react when you told them about us? Did they take it okay?"

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo let out a small laugh. "Yeah, they took it fine. The Hyakka were surprised, but happy for me. I guess that they weren't really expecting it, but they approved of you, so it's okay. And when I told Seita, he asked me if you're going to be his big brother now."

"Seriously? That stupid brat, what does he want me to do, babysit him?"

"He really looks up to you, you know? I think he just wants to spend more time with you. That's all. You could at least do that much, can't you? For me?"

"Well, I guess I could visit you more now that everyone knows about us…"

"That would be nice," said Tsukuyo, staring at the sky once again. "By the way, I also ended up telling Hinowa about everything that happened the other day. About the commotion the others had caused and all that."

"Really? What did she have to say that about it?"

Tsukuyo just gave another small laugh as she answered. "She claimed that if I had just told her about the whole mess, she would have come right over and told everyone to leave us alone."

"That would have been just perfect," said Gintoki with a smile. "Having your mom show up and scolding all of your friends. That would have been hilarious."

"She's not my mom, Gintoki," said Tsukuyo in a serious tone.

"Whatever," he said, clearly not caring. "I'm just happy that all of this is over. I feel so relaxed now that everyone knows."

"It does feel really good not to have to hide anything anymore," Tsukuyo agreed. She took in a small breath of fresh air as the wind provided a gentle breeze. The couple was finally relaxing in peace.

Tsukuyo took a quick moment to think back on how much she had changed since she had started dating Gintoki. She was no longer the same nervous girl that she had been on her first date. She now felt free and at ease. She wasn't even worried about anything; she was simply content to be with the idiot standing next to her.

"I'm really happy to be with you, Gintoki."

"I'm happy to be with you too."

The couple stood in silence for a brief moment, staring at the sky and feeling the soft breeze. It was so calm and quiet. In a way, it was almost like the night that they had spent together on Tsukuyo's veranda. It was just a peaceful place where they could simply enjoy each other's company.

"It's such a nice evening," said Gintoki. "It would be a shame to waste it, don't you think?"

"It would," said Tsukuyo. "We should do something to enjoy it while we can."

"I think a quick, smooth ride would help us enjoy it more, don't you?"

"I completely agree."

"Well then," said Gintoki, turning to face her, "let's get going."

Tsukuyo softly smiled and followed him as he walked down the staircase. They eventually arrived at his scooter, which was sitting out in front of the building.

"Don't forget to wear this," said Gintoki, holding his only helmet out to her.

"I know what to do," said Tsukuyo, not even bothering to argue. She took the helmet and quickly put it on her head.

Once the two of them were on the scooter and ready, Gintoki started it up. "All right, let's enjoy the evening together, shall we?"

And with that, the scooter shot off down the street, carrying the young couple as it went on its way.

Book 1 End

* * *

**Author: For the final chapter of Book 1, let's bring Gintoki back for a conversation just one more time.**

**Gintoki: What? I'm back?**

**Author: Yep, you're back, and Book 1 is over.**

**Gintoki: Oh, you finally got tired of all those other idiots and decided to bring me back, eh?**

**Author: You mean the other characters? Of course not, they were…um…a pleasure to talk to…**

**Gintoki: Right…well, anyways, you finally ended the story huh?**

**Author: Just Book 1, next up is Book 2!**

**Gintoki: Book 2? You mean this stupid story is continuing?**

**Author: Yep, it's gonna be good too. (At least I hope so XD)**

**Gintoki: You seem pretty confident in your writing there. How do you know it's going to be good, huh?**

**Author: I have a feeling that the readers will like it. **

**Gintoki: I bet they'd like to know what this 'Book 2' is all about.**

**Author: Hmm, well I guess I could provide a little summary of what to look forward to in Book 2. You guys would like that, right? Here it is:**

_A new overlord has come to Yoshiwara. No one knows much about him, but he appears to be a nice, kindhearted young man. However, as Gintoki and Tsukuyo start to learn more about this new overlord, their relationship takes a turn for the worst…_

**Author: And that's all I can tell you for now! Hopefully this will catch your interest!**

**Gintoki: …I will admit this has me interested. So, when can we expect this Book 2 to come out?**

**Author: Well, I need to finish the outline for it first, and then I'll start writing the first chapters for it. Just a head's up, I might take a short break before I get started though…**

**Gintoki: I should have known. The author is being lazy once again.**

**Author: Hey! I'm not being lazy! I'll only take a couple of weeks off so I can finish out the semester at school!**

**Gintoki: So you're not dedicated either?**

**Author: Shut up! You're one to talk when it comes to being lazy!**

**Gintoki: Who cares about me? It's not like I'm the one writing this garbage.**

**Author: That's it! You're fired again! This time for good!**

**Gintoki: …That is, until Book 2, right?**

**Author: …Probably.**

**Gintoki: Well great, I'll see you all then. Goodbye everyone!**

**Author: Yes, goodbye everyone! Thank you all so much for reading! Do me a favor and please please **_**please **_**leave a review telling me your thoughts about Book 1! I'll try and take the time to respond to everyone who comments, so please do so XD. The next time I see you all, I'll have started Book 2, so please look forward to it! That's it for now. Thanks again! See ya!**


	15. Book 2 - Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I'm finally back with a new chapter! Did you miss me?**

**What's that? You don't even remember me?**

**Oh…Well, I didn't miss you guys that much either…**

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 1

_8 Months After the Events in Book 1…_

It was a calm, cool evening in February. The sun had just set a little while earlier and the sky was now full of stars. It was a rather beautiful sight for a city that had once been without a sky.

That city was Yoshiwara. There had been a time when the sky was closed off to its citizens under the jurisdiction of a protective overlord. Eventually, a savior appeared in the city and he brought the sky to the people. He freed them all from the overlord and broke the endless night that they had lived through for so long. The city had become free and the citizens were happy, all thanks to that legendary savior.

That's how the story goes, anyway…

* * *

Tsukuyo quietly sat at the kitchen table across from Seita. The young boy was excitedly telling her about something that had happened at school that day, but she was not listening. It was not that she didn't care; she just had something more important on her mind.

Amidst the chatting of the boy, Tsukuyo was straining her ears to listen in on the conversation currently taking place in the living room. It didn't help that the individuals talking in there were speaking in calm and polite volumes. Nevertheless, she tried her best to piece together what was being said.

After all, it was an important meeting. An important meeting between Hinowa and the most significant man in the city.

Hinowa was conversing with Yoshiwara's newest overlord.

* * *

It happened a few weeks ago.

It was a normal day, just like any other. The citizens had been going about their usual business when _he_ arrived.

He simply stepped out of the elevator leading down to the city with a bright smile on his face. He was just a young man with a small group of guards following him. The man looked rather dignified, wearing expensive robes and carrying a calm demeanor. He was of average height. He had long black hair that was tied neatly in a ponytail. He wore a simple pair of glasses that covered his most distinguishing feature, his big bright green eyes.

Shortly after arriving in the city, he immediately called for the attention of all of those present. He lifted a hand in greeting and politely introduced himself as the new overlord of Yoshiwara. It was as simple as that.

Some of the citizens initially thought it was a joke, but others were concerned. A moment later, the man reached into his robes and pulled out an important looking document. He held it up so everyone could clearly see it.

It was the official deed to the city of Yoshiwara, and it was resting in that man's hands.

It was then that the fear started to spread. Nobody knew anything about the young man, but he was standing right there holding the deed to the city and claiming to be the overlord. The thought of another ruler like Hosen made people panic, and it was not long before Hinowa, Tsukuyo and the Hyakka were all called to the scene.

Upon arriving, Hinowa quieted all of the citizens down and calmly wheeled herself to the young man. She kindly introduced herself before asking the young man's name.

"You can call me Kami," he said with a gentle smile.

This once again, only made the citizens become more afraid. A new unknown overlord had shown up and was now calling himself 'God'. They were starting to prepare for the worst.

Hinowa, on the other hand, didn't lose one bit of her confidence. She greeted the young man and respectfully asked for the document for a moment. He handed it over without worry and Hinowa called over some nearby people for an inspection. Before long, they confirmed that the document was legitimate, and whoever held it had total control of the city of Yoshiwara.

Hinowa then returned the document to Kami and curiously inquired about how it had come into his possession. He briefly explained that he knew the previous overlord, Hosen, through business, and that the two had been close trade partners. He went on to say that he primarily conducted business in space and had been surprised to hear of Hosen's untimely demise back on Earth. He was even more surprised a few months later when he found out that he had inherited everything the man had owned, including the city. He then took some time to get his business in order before heading to Yoshiwara to become its new overlord full time.

Kami then revealed that he wanted to take care of the city left behind by his partner and become its new overlord. He claimed it was his responsibility to look after it and turn it into a city where everyone could be safe and happy. He then surprised everyone by humbly getting on his hands and knees and bowing to everyone present.

"Forgive me," he said. "It was my duty to look after all of you, but I've completely ignored you up to now. I know I've been a useless overlord up to this point, but will you let me make it up to you? Please, let me do my duty as your ruler and take care of you. After all, it's what you deserve from me."

The citizens had been shocked to hear this. They could hardly believe that such a caring and compassionate ruler could exist for them. But there he was, bowing his head like a lowly commoner even though he should have been treated like royalty. It made everyone realize that the man really did care for the city and the people living in it.

A few seconds later, Hinowa leaned out of her chair and put a hand on his shoulder. He quietly looked up at her and she gave him a big smile.

"Welcome to Yoshiwara, Kami-sama."

* * *

Ever since that day, the city of Yoshiwara had been slowly adjusting to its new lifestyle under the rule of Kami. Hinowa held several meetings with the young man and they discussed different ways that they could improve the city. Kami was not afraid to start getting involved and immediately donated a lot of his wealth into the city. It was clear that he was trying his best to make the city a happier place to live.

It was not long before the citizens noticed the new overlord's efforts and began to respect him for it. He was improving the city in ways that benefitted everyone and they were starting to love him for that. In just a few weeks, he rose to be a personal favorite of the citizens of Yoshiwara. They had never known of such a kind overlord working for their happiness and wellbeing. And it was for that reason that they loved him.

Kami knew that the citizens were starting to become loyal to him and that he held a lot of power and influence in the city. However, there was not a single instance in which he let this power go to his head. He humbly realized his own lack of experience and was constantly taking advice from Hinowa. He was always a good listener and gladly accepted her help. That was just another thing to love about Kami; he didn't feel like a man in power. He had a way of making it seem like he was just another fellow citizen who genuinely cared for the city.

And that was about all there was to it. In just a few weeks, a complete stranger had managed to enter Yoshiwara and win the loyalty of the people through his good intentions. Many had quickly accepted him as one of their own and Kami had easily become a central figure in Yoshiwara.

As for Tsukuyo, she was initially one of most skeptical of the young man. She had known firsthand just how terrible it had been living directly under Hosen and she was not about to let it happen again. She knew that Hinowa trusted him, but she was not so willing.

For that reason, she assigned some members of the Hyakka to keep an eye on him and his actions. She wanted to take every precaution against this new overlord and prevent any possibility of being in their old situation. However, what she ended up finding out was what everyone else in the city had already learned. All he ever did was help people and fix up the city, and he was honest and open about it too. In time, Tsukuyo also started to like the young man and what he was doing in Yoshiwara. He only seemed to have a positive influence and the city had indeed become much happier under his rule. Nobody could deny that he was a great addition to this free city.

"Tsukuyo, are you even listening?"

"Huh?" said Tsukuyo, suddenly snapping out of her thoughts.

"Man, you're really out of it," said Seita, giving the woman a concerned look. "You haven't been listening to me at all, have you?"

Tsukuyo sighed. "I'm sorry Seita, I had something important on my mind. The city is going through a lot of changes, you know."

"Who cares about that?" said the young boy, clearly not worried about Yoshiwara's future. "As long as Kami is around, he'll take care of us, right?"

Tsukuyo could only softly smile at the boy's trust in the new overlord. "Yes, that's right," she told him.

Suddenly, Hinowa's voice called out from the living room. "Tsukuyo? Can you please come in here for a second?"

Tsukuyo quietly froze upon hearing this. _Why are they asking for me? Do they want me to join the conversation? They've never asked me to join before. I wonder what this is all about._

"I'm coming," she called out as she slowly stood up. Seita watched her leave as she made her way into the living room.

Upon entering, Tsukuyo was greeted by three smiling faces. Hinowa was quietly sitting on the floor across from Kami and his assistant. "Please, come join us for a moment, Tsukuyo," she said, gesturing to the spot on the floor next to her.

Tsukuyo quietly walked over and sat across from Kami's assistant who was commonly known as Edward. He was a tall, older man who had neat brown hair. Like Kami, he also wore robes and even had a monocle over one eye, giving him the appearance of somebody important. Nobody knew much about Edward, as he was mostly quiet and kept to himself. He was often seen following Kami around wherever he went and many assumed he was helping the young overlord with his duties. On the rare instances where he did talk, he was very polite and was often seen with a small smile on his face. Just like Kami, some of the citizens had started to become fond of Edward and had gladly welcomed him into the city.

Once Tsukuyo was properly seated on the floor, Hinowa turned to Kami and said, "Go on, Kami-sama, and tell her your idea."

Under normal circumstances, Tsukuyo would have blurted out 'what idea?' but in this case she simply decided to be quiet. She knew that she had to be polite in front of the new overlord and she didn't want to speak out of turn.

Kami turned to Tsukuyo and looked at her with his big green eyes from behind his glasses. "Good evening, Tsukuyo-san," he began. "Lately, I have been thinking about what a wonderful job you and the Hyakka do every day here in Yoshiwara. You all work very hard to keep our city safe and under control. We are all very thankful for the effort that each of you put in everyday in order to protect us."

Kami then gave Tsukuyo a small smile before he continued. "It is for that reason that I think we should publicly thank you for it."

Tsukuyo was trying to understand what he was saying. "What do you mean?" she asked the young man.

"What I'm saying is I want to hold a big public celebration for the Hyakka in order for everyone to show their appreciation. It would be an entire day dedicated to thanking our amazing police force. It would be a ceremony just for the Hyakka. What do you think?"

Tsukuyo was almost speechless. She had never thought that the Hyakka would deserve something like this. Tsukuyo always knew that they did a good job in protecting the city but she had never once felt the need to be thanked for it. They had always been glad to do it for the sake of Yoshiwara and its citizens. Even so, knowing that Kami cared enough to acknowledge their efforts and willingly thank them for it meant a lot. He was truly a kind and thoughtful man.

"I think it sounds like a great idea," said Tsukuyo with a smile.

"I completely agree," said Hinowa, also smiling.

"Perfect!" said Kami, happy that she had accepted his offer. "It is always good to take the opportunity to thank those most important to us. The Hyakka are an important part of Yoshiwara and we need to acknowledge that."

"Thank you very much, Kami-sama," said Tsukuyo with a bow. "I know that the Hyakka are going to be very excited about this. They really do work hard. Thank you for caring so much about us."

"Nonsense," said Kami, "you all deserve a ceremony for protecting us. It is my pleasure to do this. I want to be the one thanking you."

Hinowa then turned towards Tsukuyo and gave her a smile. "Won't this be great, Tsukuyo? I'm sure all of the citizens will get excited about this as well. You know that they are also very thankful for the safety you bring to the city. It is sure to be a wonderful ceremony."

"Of course," said Tsukuyo, still excited about the new idea.

Kami adjusted the glasses on his face as he looked towards Tsukuyo again. "If you could, I'd like for you to come to the palace sometime so we can discuss the details of the ceremony. We can set a date and figure out what our exact plans are. Do you think you could do that?"

"Yes, that would be great," she said politely.

Kami showed a look of satisfaction before turning to his assistant. "Edward, what would be a good day to have Tsukuyo-san over so we can talk?"

Edward pulled out a small pocketbook and began quietly flipping through it. "It would seem you're busy most days, my lord. This meeting would have to take place in the evening."

"That's not a problem," said Tsukuyo, hoping to make things convenient for Kami.

"In that case," said Edward, still looking through his book, "it looks like the evening of February 9th is available."

Kami turned back to Tsukuyo. "How about it? Would the 9th work out for you?"

"Oh, the 9th?" said Tsukuyo, her voice starting to fall in disappointment. "Forgive me, but I'm afraid I can't make the 9th."

Kami gave Tsukuyo a somewhat curious look and Hinowa decided to join in and explain. "You see, Kami-sama, the 9th is actually Tsukuyo's birthday. She has already made plans to go out with her boyfriend that evening."

"Her boyfriend?" repeated Kami out of surprise. "I didn't realize you had a boyfriend, Tsukuyo-san."

In response, Tsukuyo simply blushed as she looked at the floor. Under normal circumstances, she usually wouldn't be afraid to tell people about her boyfriend, but talking about it in front of Kami just felt weird.

Hinowa, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a problem telling him all about it. "It's true, Tsukuyo has a very nice boyfriend named Gintoki. He's a very likeable and reliable young man and he is a close friend of ours. He has even offered his help to Yoshiwara many times in the past and we are very thankful for that. He's a great man and Tsukuyo is lucky to be with him."

"I see," said Kami, showing interest in his tone. "You seem to speak very highly of him; he must truly be a wonderful man. If it could be arranged, I think I'd like to meet him sometime."

"I'm sure we could find the time to introduce him to you," said Hinowa with a smile.

"That would be great," said Kami, giving a look of satisfaction. He then turned towards Tsukuyo. "Well, in any case, we can't have you missing that important date now can we? We'll just pick another night then."

"I'm really sorry," Tsukuyo mumbled, still feeling a little embarrassed.

"It's okay," he said. "I understand. We all have our own things that keep us busy. It's nothing to feel bad about."

Tsukuyo looked up and gave Kami a small smile. She liked the fact that he was a very understanding man and his words had made her feel better.

"Edward, can we find another night to meet with Tsukuyo-san?" Kami asked his assistant.

Edward began flipping through his pocketbook again until he found what he was looking for. "The evening of February 13th is available," he finally announced.

Kami turned back to Tsukuyo. "How about it?" he asked nicely.

"That would be fine," said Tsukuyo, happy that they had finally arrived at an agreement.

"Perfect," said Kami as he clapped his hands together. "Alright, Edward, please make a note that we will be meeting with Tsukuyo on the 13th to discuss the details of the appreciation ceremony."

Edward scribbled the information in the book before shutting it. "It is confirmed," he said with a small smile.

"Excellent," said Kami, once again readjusting his glasses. "Well, I think that will be all for tonight." He then slowly stood up, signifying that the meeting was over. The other members present also stood up and Tsukuyo helped Hinowa get into her wheelchair.

"Thank you for having us, Hinowa-san," said Kami, giving a slight bow to the woman.

"Of course, Kami-sama, you are welcome here anytime," Hinowa replied.

"I appreciate it," he said, slowly turning towards the door. The two men started to leave when Kami suddenly paused and turned back around.

"Oh, Tsukuyo-san, one more thing," he said.

"Yes?" Tsukuyo replied.

"When you come to the palace for our meeting, why don't you go ahead and bring your boyfriend along with you? That would be a good opportunity for the two of us to meet, don't you think?"

"Oh," said Tsukuyo, surprised at the young overlord's request. She quickly started to wonder if Gintoki would want to go to something like that, but she decided that it would be rude if he didn't. She figured that she would force him to go if she had to.

"Um, sure, that sounds nice," she answered.

"Great," said Kami, once again smiling. "I look forward to it. I'll see you then."

With that, the overlord turned back around and exited the living room with Edward following behind. A few moments later and they could be heard going out the front door.

The two women stood in silence for a moment before Hinowa decided to speak up. "That Kami-sama," she said, "he's such a nice man."

"He is," agreed Tsukuyo. "His presence here in Yoshiwara really seems to have made a difference."

"I can't wait for Gin-san to meet him. I hope they both get along. After all, Yoshiwara owes a lot to the both of them. They're the ones who really made this city what it is today."

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo quietly thought back on all of the times that Gintoki had offered his help to the city during times of trouble. Gintoki had lent a hand on several occasions including the trials of Hosen, Jiraia, and the courtesan Suzuran. It was completely fair to say that he had been a big help to the city. He truly was the savior of Yoshiwara.

Tsukuyo brought her thoughts to a close and quietly started walking away from Hinowa. "Remind me to thank him sometime," she said with a smile.

* * *

**Well, I'm finally back everybody! It was nice to take a few weeks off from writing in order to finish out school, so thank you all for being patient. I really did miss writing this story and all of you who read it!**

**So here we are in Book 2. It will be the second arc of the story and it is a continuation from Book 1. I hope you will all enjoy it! It's only going to get better and better from here!**

**Anyways, some of you might be wondering what happened to the segment where I chat with the Gintama characters. The truth is I'm not sure if I'll be doing that a lot from now on. For me personally, it was starting to get repetitive and I didn't really know what to do after talking to most of the main characters. I might still do it from time to time, but it is no longer a priority. Let me know what you guys think about this and if you do want to see more of it. It's completely up to you guys.**

**Whatever happens, I will still try to write something at the end of each chapter for you guys to read, so keep an eye out for it.**

**That's all for now. Please leave a review with your thoughts on the first chapter of this new book and please look forward to the next one! See you all then!**


	16. Book 2 - Chapter 2

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 2

It was just another calm and peaceful evening over at Snack House Otose. Business was pretty slow and the building was mostly empty. It was just one of those quiet nights where you could sit back and relax while you worked. After all, only three people sat at the bar, and they weren't even paying customers.

It was the usual Odd Jobs trio and they were taking an opportunity to unwind in the comfort of the empty business. Gintoki and Shinpachi were quietly sitting in their seats while Kagura was in the middle of stuffing her face with food. Across the counter stood Otose, who was currently wiping a glass with a clean cloth. Tama was sweeping the floor and Catherine was taking note of the snack house's inventory.

After a while, Otose softly set her glass down as she glanced around the room. "It looks like we won't be getting a lot of customers tonight. I guess I'll have to settle for you three," she said, her eyes landing on the Odd Jobs crew.

"Thank you for letting us stay here even though we're not customers, Otose-san," said Shinpachi, trying to be respectful.

"Yes, well, normally I would kick the three of you out so you wouldn't be in the way of the customers, but since it's so slow, I'll make an exception. After all, I suppose I am rather fond of you three."

"That's right, Gran," said Gintoki, giving her a confident smile. "It looks like for better or for worse, you're stuck with us."

"Is that so?" asked Otose, clearly not intimidated. "I'll bet if I raised the rent you'd all start running as fast as you could."

Gintoki gave her a smirk, as he was also unafraid. "Let's be honest, you're not going to do that. You would be too lonely around here with the three of us gone."

Catherine suddenly turned away from the shelf in front of her and yelled at Gintoki. "Yeah right!" she shouted. "Otose-san wouldn't be lonely. She has us here to keep her company."

"It would certainly be a lot quieter," mumbled Otose.

Kagura stopped eating for a second in order to join the conversation. "You would miss us if we were gone, wouldn't you Gran?"

"That's not really important," she said, dodging the question. "By the way, don't you guys have anything better to do than to just sit around in here all day?"

"Not really," said Gintoki. "We just came in here to relax ourselves."

Otose crossed her arms as she looked at the samurai. "Tsukuyo hasn't been coming around lately, whatever happened to her?"

"Why do you care about that?" asked Gintoki, surprised at the question.

"I'm just wondering what happened to her is all," said Otose with a shrug. "She didn't break up with you, did she?"

"Of course not!" shouted Gintoki, starting to get defensive. "Why would she do that?"

"Well, you are kind of a mess," said Otose.

"You can be lazy and unmotivated at times," Tama chimed in.

"You're an idiot," said Catherine.

"Come to think of it, Gin-san, it has been a while since Tsukuyo-san has come over to see you," added Shinpachi.

"Yeah, what's Tsukky been up to?" asked Kagura, her mouth full of food.

Gintoki simply sighed and addressed everyone in a calm manner. "Look, Tsukuyo's been busy dealing with something in her city. They're currently going through a lot of changes and she hasn't had a lot of time to herself."

"Oh," said Otose, suddenly getting interested. "Does this have something to do with that new overlord I heard about?"

"Yeah, I guess Yoshiwara is beginning to adjust to life under his rule."

"You know, I heard he's been quite the catch in that city. I've even heard that the citizens are already emotionally attached."

"Yeah, Tsukuyo has told me a little about him. She really seems to like him and she claims that he's been doing good things for the city."

Kagura stopped eating for a moment and turned towards Gintoki. "Gin-chan, do you think that they'll be okay with a new overlord? I mean, the old one was…" she trailed off.

Gintoki just stared at her and then gave her a reassuring smile. "I think they'll be just fine," he said. "Tsukuyo has been very careful in dealing with this guy, and she still seems to really like him. I trust her judgment."

Otose gave a sigh as she started to light a cigarette. "In that case, it's understandable that the city is so preoccupied right now. Tsukuyo must be working hard to keep everything in order while changes are being made."

"Yeah, even now she's probably keeping busy with something," said Gintoki.

"Then I guess Tsukky no longer has time for you, huh?" said Kagura, once again starting to eat.

"What? No, that's not it!" shouted Gintoki.

"Face it, Gin-chan. Tsukky no longer has time to deal with an idiot like you. Don't worry though; it's nothing to be sad about. We all knew this was going to happen eventually."

"What are you talking about?" shouted Gintoki, starting to get annoyed.

"Isn't it obvious? She's finally realized what a handful you are and she's starting to move on. But it's okay, even if she dumps you, we'll always love you."

"She's not breaking up with me!" shouted Gintoki, slamming his hands down on the table.

In response, Kagura simply started laughing and the other women soon joined in. Gintoki's defensive behavior was just too funny.

Shinpachi quietly leaned over and put a hand Gintoki's shoulder. "Calm down, Gin-san, she's only teasing you."

"Whatever," he said. "Just you wait, Kagura. Someday you'll have a boyfriend and then I'll get the chance to tease you about it."

"Pfft, that's not gonna happen," said Kagura, clearly not worried. "I'm never getting a boyfriend."

"Really?" said Gintoki, starting to grin as an idea came into his head. "That's funny, because you seemed really interested in that young handsome guy in the Shinsengumi. What was his name again? Okita?"

At the mention of his name, Kagura's expression immediately started to sour. "I'm not interested in that sadist," she said in the most serious tone.

"Calm on now, don't be shy. It's okay to like a tax robber like him. No matter what happens, we'll always love you," said Gintoki, starting to mock her words.

"Shut up! You should know better than anyone that I hate that asshole!" she replied, her anger starting to show.

Shinpachi then decided to intervene and try and stop his two friends from arguing. "Gin-san, maybe you shouldn't-"

But it was too late. Gintoki was enjoying himself too much and he was ready to push Kagura over the edge. "Admit it," he said quietly, "you have a crush on him, don't you?"

"SHUT UP!"

"All right, all right, that's enough!" Otose suddenly shouted. "Both of you better calm down before you do something stupid and wreck my shop."

"Yes, can't we just stop the fighting?" asked Shinpachi with a sigh.

Gintoki and Kagura both looked at each other before also giving a sigh. "Fine," they agreed.

"Good, now do your best and try to get along," said Shinpachi. "It's not good to see you two fighting all the time."

After that, the whole room seemed to go silent. Catherine and Tama went back to work while Otose started staring at Gintoki. She quietly pulled her cigarette out of her mouth and held it between her fingers. "By the way," she told him, "you do realize that Valentines Day is approaching, don't you?"

Upon hearing this, Gintoki just stared back at Otose with a slightly confused look. "Of course I know that. I look forward to Valentines Day every year. It's the day where I can get a lot of chocolate for free if I'm lucky."

Otose just stared at the samurai with a blank expression. "Are you going to do anything with Tsukuyo on that day?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I hope she's going to give me some chocolate or something…"

In response, Otose could only shake her head in disapproval. "Oh, Gintoki, you're such a mess."

Gintoki stared at the woman in confusion. "What?" he said.

Shinpachi decided to speak up. "I think what Otose-san is saying is that you should get something nice for Tsukuyo-san in return."

"Get something for Tsukuyo? Why?"

Otose glared at the samurai, starting to get angry with him. "Maybe because she's your girlfriend, you idiot!" she shouted.

Tama suddenly walked up from behind Gintoki and joined the conversation. "According to my database, Valentines Day is supposed to be the most romantic day of the year. Many couples exchange gifts on this day to show how much they care about each other."

Gintoki stared at the robot girl for a moment before facing forward again. "So what?" he said. "Tsukuyo already knows how much I care about her. I don't need to get her a gift to prove it."

"Oh, come on, Gin-chan," Kagura whined. "Tsukky would be really happy if you gave her something nice."

"Yeah," agreed Shinpachi. "You're always telling us about how she's working so hard. She deserves something nice for her efforts."

Gintoki gave a sigh and tried to argue once more. "But she already knows-"

"Come on, Gin-chan," Kagura begged.

"Gin-san," said Shinpachi in a stern voice.

Gintoki couldn't take it anymore; he finally gave in. "Alright, alright, fine! I'll get something nice for Tsukuyo, ok? Sheesh."

"Good," said Otose, finally satisfied with his answer. "And don't make it cheap ok? That girl deserves something special."

"Uggh, like what?" asked Gintoki, now holding his head in his hands from the stress.

"Weren't you listening to Tama? Get her something that shows how much you care bout her."

"Can't you just tell me what to get her?"

"This is something you should come up with on your own."

Gintoki could only groan as he thought about the subject. "I can't think of anything," he finally said.

Otose simply put her cigarette back in her mouth and went back to wiping glasses. "Don't worry, you'll think of something. Despite what most people say, you are pretty resourceful when you need to be."

"Aren't you one of those people who usually talk bad about me?"

"That doesn't matter," she replied, "just focus on getting something good for your girlfriend."

Gintoki let out a sigh. "I will," he promised.

Otose gave him a small smile to show that she was satisfied with the man. She started wiping another glass before speaking up again. "You know, she really is a sweet girl, Gintoki. You're very lucky to be with her."

"Yeah, yeah, I know all that," he said, starting to blush a little bit.

"Listen to my advice, Gintoki," said Otose, suddenly getting serious. "You should never let that girl go. In all of the years I've known you, she's the only girl who's ever been willing to go out with an idiot like you. So take good care of her. After all, this might be your only chance to ever find true love."

Once Otose was finished speaking, Gintoki took a moment to consider her words. _She's right. Tsukuyo is the only girl who's ever cared for me this much. She really is special. I should let her know that sometime…_

"Plus, this could be my only chance to ever get some grandkids," Otose added.

"Wait, what!?" shouted Gintoki as he snapped out of his thoughts. "Grandkids? Where the hell are you getting grandkids from?"

Otose simply stared at Gintoki with a blank face. "From you and Tsukuyo, of course."

"What are you talking about? We're not having kids! Nobody is having kids!"

Upon hearing this, Otose gave a slight snicker. "Well, not right now, of course. But, who knows? Maybe someday in the future you'll want to start a family."

"Yeah right," said Gintoki, casually pointing to Shinpachi and Kagura. "I already have these two kids and they're a handful. I don't need anymore."

"Hey, we're not kids!" Kagura whined.

"Just shut up and eat your dinner," Gintoki told her.

Otose looked back at the samurai and decided to try to convince him one more time. "Come on, Gintoki, won't you give me at least one or two kids that I can treat like grandchildren?"

"Forget it, go and get your own grandkids from someone else."

"Someone else? Like who?" demanded Otose. "Out of all of you kids, you're the only one in a relationship. You're starting to look like my only hope, so try not to let me down, ok?"

"That's it, I'm out of here," said Gintoki as he stood up to leave. "I can't listen to another minute of this annoying conversation."

"Wait a second, Gin-san!" Shinpachi called after him. "Please don't leave, I'm sure she was only teasing you like everyone else. Isn't that right, Otose-san?"

"Um, no, I was being completely serious," said Otose with a straight face.

"Do you really care that much about being a grandma!?" Shinpachi shouted at her.

Kagura turned around and watched the samurai walk away. "Gin-chan, are you really leaving?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'll see you all later," he said bluntly as he made his way to the door. He gave a quick wave goodbye shortly before exiting the shop.

Once he was out on the street, he quietly made his way to the stairs that would lead to his house. As he climbed them, he couldn't help but start thinking back on everything the group had told him that evening.

"Those idiots," he mumbled out of irritation. "Why do they have to interfere in everything?"

Once Gintoki was inside his house, he made his way to the living room and silently lay down on the couch. For some reason, the conversation that he had just had downstairs was still ringing in his ears.

_So Gran sees Tsukuyo and me getting married and having kids, huh? _He paused for a moment and tried to picture the image in his mind. For some reason, what he ended up thinking of was Tsukuyo and himself living in the Odd Jobs building with children-sized versions of Shinpachi and Kagura. The thought immediately struck him as weird so he quickly stopped picturing it. The image just didn't seem normal and it made him feel uncomfortable.

Gintoki then decided to get his mind off of the subject by thinking about something else. Before long, he remembered that he was now responsible for getting Tsukuyo a gift for Valentines Day.

_That's right, I need to think of something good or everyone else is going to be pissed with me. Let's see, what did Gran say again? Something about getting her a gift that shows how much I care about her?_

Gintoki paused for a moment_. How much do I care about her?_

He immediately started looking for an answer. _Hmm, I love her, that's for sure. But how much? And what kind of gift can express it? This is harder than it looks. _

Gintoki put a hand on his head as he started thinking about what kind of gift he could give Tsukuyo to make her happy. He began considering several ideas, but he ended up feeling uncertain about all of them. He just couldn't come up with anything that seemed satisfactory.

After a while, he simply stopped thinking about gifts and started thinking about Tsukuyo instead. He began to wonder what she might be up to at that current moment. As he continued thinking about Tsukuyo, the recent conversation downstairs started to creep in to his mind. Before long, he couldn't help but once again picture the two of them being married, which only managed to frustrate him.

"Damn it!" he suddenly shouted as he sat up. "Why the hell do I keep picturing us getting married and having kids, huh? This is all your fault, you stupid old hag!"

Gintoki immediately paused as an idea for his gift came into his head.

_Maybe…_he thought.

After considering it for a while, he decided to dismiss the entire idea of it.

_No, we're not ready for that…are we?_

And with that, Gintoki once again began to struggle as he tried to think of the perfect gift for Tsukuyo…

* * *

**Well, that was Chapter 2! I don't know why, but I had an awful case of writer's block while working on this chapter -.-' I was drawing blanks after every line and I could hardly think of what to write next. In the end, I basically had to force myself to write something down in order to keep moving. It was kind of stressful. Hopefully the writing will come easier for future chapters!**

**It also didn't really help that I didn't have a lot of content to put into this chapter. I really just wanted a scene with Gintoki and the others talking at the bar and this is what I ended up with. That's basically the reason why this chapter is kind of short, so please forgive me!**

**On a different note, I would like to say thank you for all of the comments left on the first chapter. They were all very positive and encouraging, so thank you!**

**Anyways, in the next chapter, the story will actually be **_**moving forward**_**, so look forward to that XD Please feel free to let me know what you thought about this chapter! See you all later!**


	17. Book 2 - Chapter 3

Silver Moon Book 2 – Chapter 3

Gintoki and Tsukuyo were quietly walking through the streets of Yoshiwara. It was the evening of February 9th, meaning that Tsukuyo's birthday had finally come around. The young couple was currently making its way to a club within the city. There they would spend the evening alone with each other in order to celebrate the special occasion.

As they walked, Tsukuyo suddenly grabbed onto Gintoki's arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's nice to get to spend time with you again," she said softly.

Gintoki simply looked down at her and gave her a smile. He gently freed his arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her waist. He then held her close to his body as they walked. "I know how you feel," he told her.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down at the ground. "It's my fault that we haven't had any time to see each other lately. I've just been so busy…"

"It's okay," he told her sincerely. "Don't worry about it. Yoshiwara needs you right now. It's understandable."

Tsukuyo gave him a small smile before snuggling up against him. "Thank you, Gintoki, for being so patient. It really is nice of you."

"No problem," he said casually.

As the couple continued walking, Tsukuyo suddenly let out a big yawn as she leaned against the samurai.

Gintoki looked down at her out of concern. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she mumbled, "I'm just a little tired."

"You seem more than tired," he noted. "You seem completely exhausted."

"I've just been working a lot lately. That's all."

"I think you've been working too hard. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"I've been trying," she said truthfully, "but it hasn't been easy. With the arrival of the new overlord, I've been working nonstop to ensure that everything stays in order while changes are being made. I've also been doing my regular patrols and police duties on top of that. Too many people are counting on me right now so I just have to bear with it."

As Gintoki listened, he continued to stare at Tsukuyo with concern. "You know, we don't have to go out tonight if you're too tired."

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo immediately looked up at Gintoki out of protest. "What? No, I want to spend some time with you," she told him.

"You sure?"

"Of course, I've really missed being with you the last few weeks. That's all I want to do right now."

In response, Gintoki gave her a soft smile as he tightened his hold on her. "I've missed you too," he said.

* * *

A little while later, the couple was sitting in a circular booth at the previously mentioned club of choice. It was a rather peaceful joint, with calm and soothing music playing in the background. There was a large buffet filled with all kinds of delicious foods with which the customers could help themselves. It was one of Yoshiwara's finer clubs and it had a rather relaxing atmosphere. It was the perfect place for the young couple to spend some time with each other.

"So Hinowa is having an important meeting at your house right now with some of the top courtesans?" asked Gintoki.

"Yes," replied Tsukuyo. "They're discussing how they can help Kami-sama make the city a better place to live. However, this kind of thing isn't really something new. These courtesans have been having these kinds of discussions long before Kami-sama ever arrived. They've been looking out for the welfare of the city ever since we got rid of Hosen."

"I see," said Gintoki. "So that's why you can't go home after our date?"

"These meetings are very important and I don't want to interrupt. Hinowa always sends Seita and me away whenever they take place so that the courtesans can discuss in peace. They usually end up taking a while, so I'll have to wait before I get to go home."

"That's fine," Gintoki told her. "You can just come and hang out at my place after we're done here. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great," she replied with a smile. "Their meetings don't usually go too long into the night, so I should just need to stay at your place for a little bit."

"Stay as long as you like," said Gintoki, giving her a warm smile. "You're always welcome."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," said Tsukuyo, returning his smile.

"So then," said Gintoki, starting to move on, "are things really still going well with this new Kami guy?"

"Things have been better than well, they've been great. All of the citizens absolutely love him and he's been helping us out in more ways than one. He really is a great addition to the city."

"That's good to hear," said Gintoki, a little relieved at what she was telling him. He was happy to know that they were still doing well with a new overlord running things.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Tsukuyo, suddenly remembering something. "Kami-sama is planning on holding a big celebration ceremony for the Hyakka. It's going to be a big day where the citizens will show their thanks and gratitude for what we do in Yoshiwara."

"Really? Well that was nice of him," said Gintoki, listening carefully.

"I know, it really was a thoughtful idea," Tsukuyo agreed. "Anyways, I'm going to the palace on the 13th to discuss the details of the ceremony with him and you've been invited to come along too."

"Seriously? Why me?" asked Gintoki, rather surprised.

"When Kami-sama heard that I had a boyfriend, he became very interested in meeting you. He asked me if I'd bring you along with me for the meeting."

"Is that so? Well how kind of him, taking interest in me."

"You'll come along with me, won't you?"

"Of course I'll go," said Gintoki. "I'll admit I'm actually kind of interested in meeting him too."

"Good," said Tsukuyo, satisfied with his answer. "Don't forget, it's the evening of the 13th."

"Right, I look forward to it," he said, making a mental note. "So you really do like this Kami guy, huh?"

Tsukuyo simply looked down at the table as she responded. "Yes, I really do like him. I can't even express how thankful I am for everything he's done since he got here. He's been such a big help and the city has become a lot happier under his jurisdiction. I truly am thankful for his presence."

"I'm happy to hear that," said Gintoki as he leaned back in his seat. "Just let me know if that Kami guy ever starts mistreating the city like Hosen did. I'll be sure to come right away and kick his ass."

"What? Gintoki! Don't say things like that!" Tsukuyo shouted at him.

"What? Why not? That's what I did to the old one," said Gintoki casually.

"Yes, but Kami-sama is very different from him! He's not going to do anything as bad as what Hosen did. So please don't talk about kicking his ass anymore. It's unfair for Kami-sama, who hasn't even done anything wrong."

"I know, I know," said Gintoki, "it was just a joke…mostly…"

"Well please don't say it anymore," requested Tsukuyo. "If you say it loud enough the citizens here are going to want to start kicking _your _ass."

Gintoki simply let out a sigh as he answered. "Alright, fine. I won't say it anymore, ok?"

"Thank you," said Tsukuyo, happy that she finally had Gintoki under her control.

A moment of silence fell between the two before Gintoki spoke up. "Anyways," he said, starting to look a little guilty, "I suppose I should apologize to you. I'm afraid that I didn't get you anything for your birthday."

As she listened, Tsukuyo simply stared back at the man with a blank expression. "It's okay, Gintoki. I don't care about any of that. I'm just happy that you're here spending time with me. That's a good enough gift for me."

"Well, even so," said Gintoki, "I still feel kind of bad about not getting you anything. That's why I'm going to make it up to you by getting you a really nice gift for Valentines Day."

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo paused for a moment before she started getting excited. "You're going to get me a Valentines gift?" she asked him with a grin.

"Yeah, Gran and the others thought it would be a good idea, so I'm going to get you something. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it's going to be good, so look forward to it."

In response, Tsukuyo simply rested her head on her hand as she stared at the samurai. "Aw, that's so sweet of you, Gintoki. I suppose I should get you something in return then?"

"Chocolates might be nice," Gintoki quietly suggested as he stared off into the room.

"Very well," said Tsukuyo. "I'll get you some chocolates then. Just so long as you make sure that my gift is really good."

"I'll try my best," Gintoki assured her.

"Speaking of Valentines Day, I just remembered something that Hinowa told me. She said that we could have the house to ourselves that night if we're interested. Apparently, she and Seita are going out to do something together, so the house will be empty. It will just be the two of us, what do you say?"

"It will be a quiet romantic evening alone huh?" asked Gintoki, picturing the idea in his head. "Sounds like fun. I'm in."

"Glad to hear it," said Tsukuyo. "Just plan on coming over that evening and feel free to bring my gift with you."

"It's a date," agreed Gintoki.

After that, the couple just cheerfully stared at each other in silence. The two of them seemed content just to be spending time alone with each other. After all, they had hardly had any time to do it in the previous couple of weeks. To the two of them, it almost seemed like a perfect moment.

As they continued staring at each other, the couple slowly started to draw towards each other. It seemed like they were about to share a small kiss, when suddenly, a woman screamed from across the room.

Seconds later, more screams started to follow the first as they echoed throughout the room. Gintoki and Tsukuyo immediately snapped out of what they were doing and started looking around. Like many others in the club, they were starting to become curious as to what exactly was going on.

It seemed like there was a commotion currently taking place at the entrance of the building. Many of the clubs working courtesans had gathered around out of what appeared to be excitement. Before long, even some of the customers were getting up and taking a look at what was going on. Gintoki and Tsukuyo simply continued to sit in their seats as they tried to make sense of the situation.

The questions were soon answered when one of the working courtesans started shouting. "It's Kami-sama!" she shouted out of joy. "Kami-sama has come to our club!"

The crowd of people then started to part to reveal that the new overlord of Yoshiwara had indeed entered the building. Kami was standing there with a small smile on his face as he lightly started waving to the crowd. Standing next to him was his assistant, Edward, who was also giving the group a soft smile of greeting.

In terms of appearances, the two officials still looked the same as they always did. Kami's long black hair was tied neatly in a ponytail and his simple pair of glasses covered his bright green eyes. Edward's long light brown hair was very neatly combed and his monocle rested over the one eye. Both men were wearing their usual black robes.

"So that's what all of the excitement is about," said Tsukuyo as she stared at the two young men. "Figures that the place would go crazy for his arrival. I wonder what they're doing here though…"

Gintoki could only stare in silence as he looked at the two men. Since he had never seen them before, this was his first opportunity to do so. He immediately took note of their expensive robes and diplomatic behavior. They certainly seemed like dignified officials.

However, the thing that really caught Gintoki's attention was the reactions of the citizens. Many of them were waving and talking excitedly. They could hardly believe that the new overlord had stopped by for a visit. They were completely in awe of his presence.

_Wow _thought Gintoki. _The citizens sure are going crazy for that guy. They're honestly treating him like he's some sort of celebrity. I guess Tsukuyo and Gran were right; the city really has become attached to that man. In a way, it's almost unbelievable the amount of influence he has despite only being here for a couple weeks. I guess it just goes to show that the guy really is doing a good job around here._

A moment later, Kami was quietly trying to calm everybody down. Once they were all hushed, he politely greeted them. "Good evening, fellow citizens. We were just stopping by to enjoy a drink or two if that's alright."

"Why of course, Kami-sama!" shouted the courtesan who stood next to him. "Please, do come in and help yourselves."

"Thank you," he kindly told the woman. "Please everyone, do not let our presence here interrupt your meal. We really don't want to be a burden on anybody."

"Don't be silly, Kami-sama! You're more than welcome here!"

Kami gave the woman a smile before slightly bowing his head. "Once again, thank you," he told her. "Is it alright if we grab a seat?"

"Of course, please sit wherever you like! Make yourselves at home! We can assign someone to serve you if you like-"

"Oh, that won't be necessary. We can take care of ourselves."

"I understand. I'll just leave it to you two then," said the courtesan with the utmost respect. She then turned around to the crowd behind her and started forcing them away. "Go on, leave the man alone! Everyone please go back to where you were!"

As the crowd started to disperse, Kami went ahead and started looking for a place to sit. As he scanned the room, his big bright green eyes eventually noticed the booth where Tsukuyo and Gintoki were sitting. He immediately recognized Tsukuyo and gave her a gentle wave.

In response, Tsukuyo also gave the overlord a wave and a welcoming smile. It was obvious that she was happy to see the man. Then, to her surprise, Kami and Edward started making their way towards the couple's booth.

"What the?" said Tsukuyo quietly. "Gintoki! They're coming over to our booth!"

"Really? They must be coming over to say hello," he said.

"Seriously?" said Tsukuyo, frantically turning around to face her boyfriend. "Gintoki, listen up. Try your best to be polite and respectful in front of him. Don't say anything rude and please don't say anything about kicking his ass!"

Gintoki gave her a confident smile in order to assure her. "Understood," he said.

Before long, the new overlord and his assistant had arrived at the booth. "Good evening, Tsukuyo-san. It's a pleasant surprise to see you here," he told her.

In response, Tsukuyo gave the overlord a warm smile and addressed him with the utmost respect. "Same to you, Kami-sama. I was also rather surprised to see the two of you come into a place like this."

"Ah, yes," said Kami, understanding what she was saying. "I thought it would be a good idea to go out from time to time to experience the kinds of things Yoshiwara has to offer. It's kind of a way for me to learn more about the city."

"I see," said Tsukuyo. "That does sound like a good idea."

Kami gave her another one of his small smiles as thanks for the complement. It was at that moment that his eyes finally landed on Gintoki. As Gintoki stared back at the man, he thought he noticed something strange happen…

It almost seemed like, for a moment, Kami's big green eyes were staring intensely at Gintoki. For some reason, the overlord almost looked as if he was surprised to see the samurai sitting in front of him…

However, a second later, Kami blinked and his eyes appeared to go back to normal. He slowly turned back towards Tsukuyo as he readjusted his glasses. "And who is this young man sitting with you?" he asked politely.

"Oh, right, let me introduce you," said Tsukuyo, suddenly remembering that the two had never met before. "This is my boyfriend, Gintoki."

"Oh, that's right!" said Kami, his face lighting up. "So this is your boyfriend? I see. It's wonderful to meet you, Gintoki-san." Kami then offered his hand out to Gintoki for a handshake.

"Um, right," said Gintoki, slowly taking the man's hand. "It's nice to meet you too. And you can just call me Gintoki," he added.

"My name is Kami," said the overlord, properly introducing himself. He then pointed to the man standing next to him. "And this is my assistant, Edward."

Edward also extended his hand out of respect as he gave a smile. "It's a pleasure," he said briefly.

Gintoki also shook his hand as he quickly thought back about what he had just seen. _What was that all about? _he wondered. _For a second there, I thought I saw Kami's eyes staring at me as if he was in a trance. But, I only saw it for a moment before they went back to normal. Is it possible that I just imagined it?_

Meanwhile, the conversation at the table seemed to be moving forward. "So if you two are here together," said Kami, "you must be on that date that you mentioned before." The young overlord then showed a look of guilt as he continued standing there. "Forgive us," he said. "We didn't mean to interrupt your special date."

"What? Don't be silly! You're not interrupting!" said Tsukuyo, trying her best not to discourage the man. "Actually, why don't you guys go ahead and join us for a little bit? You could all get to know each other a little better."

Kami gave a look of surprise as he waved his hands back and forth. "Oh, that's all right," he said. "We don't want to be a bother to you two."

"You're not a bother," said Tsukuyo with kindness in her voice. "Besides, we don't mind if you join us. Right, Gintoki?"

"Huh?" said Gintoki, suddenly snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, right, I don't mind."

"Well, if you insist," said Kami.

Tsukuyo quietly stood up and moved to the other side of the booth so that she could sit with Gintoki. Kami and Edward then took their seats across from the couple.

"So Gintoki, tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?" asked Kami, looking interested in the young samurai.

"I run an odd jobs business," Gintoki replied. "I basically take any job that comes my way as long as I get paid for it."

"Oh, that must be very exciting," said Kami with enthusiasm. "It must be fun being able to do something different every day."

"Eh, work is work," said Gintoki with a shrug.

At this, Kami gave a small laugh. It seemed like he was quite entertained with Gintoki. "You're not from around here, are you? Where do you live?" he asked.

"I live up on the surface, in the Kabukicho district."

"I see. So then do you come to visit Yoshiwara often?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say I've grown kind of attached to the place," said Gintoki with a small smile.

"Heh, so have I," said Kami, also smiling. "You're a funny man, Gintoki. I think I'm starting to like you."

"Same here," said Gintoki.

Tsukuyo quietly looked over and gave Gintoki a smile, happy that he was actually making a good first impression. "I'm glad that you two are getting along so well," she said. "How about I go and get us some drinks while you guys keep talking?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Kami, trying not to be burden.

"It's okay, I'll get some for everybody. I'll be right back," she said as she stood up and started walking to the bar across the room.

The men simply watched in silence as she walked away. "What a sweet girl," noted Kami.

"She is," agreed Gintoki.

"By any chance, has she told you about the upcoming meeting for the celebration ceremony we're planning?"

"Oh yeah," said Gintoki, "she did mention it a little while ago."

"Are you planning on coming? We'd love to have you as our guest," said Kami with a welcoming smile.

"Yeah, it sounds nice," said Gintoki, trying to be polite.

"Wonderful!" said Kami. "We will be expecting you then."

"I think it's really nice," said Gintoki, "what you're doing for Tsukuyo and the others. I really do think that she deserves a ceremony for all the hard work she's done lately."

"I couldn't agree more," said Kami. "Yoshiwara wouldn't be able to function without its police force. We'll have to do our best to plan something good for all of them."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it. And I will too."

"Please look forward to it," said Kami, showing his teeth in a big, confident grin.

After that, a moment of silence fell on the group. Gintoki quietly turned to the man sitting next to the overlord, who had yet to say a word. "Your friend here doesn't say much, does he?"

Upon hearing this, Edward simply looked at Gintoki and cleared his throat. "Forgive me," he said. "I have always been a rather quiet and reserved person. I rarely ever feel the need to add my input and I mostly keep to myself. Unfortunately for some people, they might see this as being rude. However, I myself see it more as being respectful by not interrupting a good conversation," he said with a smirk.

"Edward has always been quiet," said Kami with a smile. "But he's a good talker when he wants to be."

"Fair enough," said Gintoki with a shrug. "So you're supposed to be Kami's assistant, right?"

"That is correct," said Edward with a nod. "I keep track of important information for him and help keep him organized and focused. Most of the time though, I'm just making sure he doesn't do anything reckless or stupid."

Gintoki raised an eyebrow at this. "And does that kind of thing happen a lot?" he asked.

"More than you think."

"Come now, Edward. Please don't talk like that, you're embarrassing me," said Kami, waving his hand up and down.

"My apologies," he said.

"Don't worry," Gintoki told the young overlord. "I have a hard time believing that about you anyway. You definitely seem like a calm and composed individual."

At this, Kami started laughing. "Well, don't be too sure. After all, appearances can be deceiving," he said, giving another confident grin.

Upon looking at Kami's grin, Gintoki suddenly paused. He started to sense something familiar in the back of his mind. He almost felt like he had seen that look before, but he couldn't remember where.

"Excuse me," said Gintoki after a moment of silence, "but by any chance have we met before?"

"Before?" asked Kami with a look of confusion. He placed a hand on his chin as he tried to remember possibly meeting the samurai in the past. Eventually, he put his hand back down and said, "I'm afraid I don't recall."

"Really?" asked Gintoki, still staring at the man. "I can't help but feel like I've seen you somewhere in the past. I just can't put my finger on it…"

"Hmm," said Kami, still trying to think. "Perhaps you saw me somewhere a long time ago," he suggested.

"Maybe…"

Suddenly, a crash was heard from across the room and a woman screamed. It seemed like another commotion was beginning to take place.

"Huh, I wonder what that's all about," said Kami, trying to see what was going on.

Before long, more crashes and shouting were heard as more and more people tried to figure out what was happening. The voice of one of the working courtesans who was nearby could be heard throughout the chaos. "What the hell is she doing?" she shouted.

"Who is that woman?" shouted another.

"Hey, I think I've seen her before. Isn't she with the police?"

"Um, excuse me, Gintoki," said Kami, slowly pointing over to the chaos. "Isn't that Tsukuyo over there?"

"Huh?" said Gintoki. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and looked to where the overlord was pointing.

To his surprise, Tsukuyo was standing at the bar with a large bottle of alcohol in her hand. Her cheeks were tinted red, a clear indicator that she was completely drunk. She was soon swinging the bottle in her hand and appeared to be terrorizing the people around her. She looked like she was breaking things with her every movement as many of the workers tried to stop her. To many of the onlookers, it was quite a sight to behold.

To Gintoki, however, it was a sight of complete dread. "What the hell!?" he shouted. "Tsukuyo!? How the hell did she get a drink? Doesn't she know she's not supposed to do that!?"

Kami and Edward could only stare in silence as they watched the courtesan continue to go on a rampage. They weren't quite sure what to say about the whole situation.

"Damn it," said Gintoki, clenching his teeth. "I better go stop her!"

As he got out of his seat, he suddenly stopped and turned back around to face Kami. "Sorry," he said. "I need to go and calm her down. It looks like we'll have to cut this conversation short."

Kami gave him a soft smile. "I understand," he said.

"It was very nice to meet the both of you. I hope to see you around from time to time."

"The same to you. I'll look forward to seeing you again on the 13th. Don't forget to come!" said the overlord, still smiling.

"Right, I won't," said Gintoki, returning the smile. He continued to stare at Kami for a moment before the sound of another crash came from the bar. "Ah! Tsukuyo! Put that down!" he shouted as he started running towards the commotion.

Kami quietly watched the samurai leave. He then gave a small laugh.

"You seem to have taken a liking to that man," noted Edward with a curious look.

"Yes, that man, Gintoki…" he said, smiling once again. "He's so…_interesting._"

* * *

**And that was Chapter 3! I hope you like it! I personally enjoyed writing it :) This chapter came a lot easier then the last one, so that was good. By the way, I included the description of Kami and Edward's appearances again to remind you guys what they look like XD**

**Moving on, I want to talk about something important in this story. I want to discuss the ages of the characters, because I feel like it's something that's good to know. So to start off, I'd like to say that this is just kind of my speculation. These are just the ages that I think of when it comes to the current point in this story, so they may not be entirely accurate. Then again, it's my story, so who cares? **

**So here we go. As of Book 2, Tsukuyo just turned 25, Gintoki is about 27, Shinpachi is 18, and Kagura is 16. As for Yoshiwara's newest officials, Kami is in his twenties and Edward is actually quite a bit older than him, possibly in his thirties.**

**Well, those are the ages of all of the **_**relevant **_**characters XD I kind of see Book 2 taking place roughly two years after the main Gintama storyline, but it still takes place within the usual Gintama universe…if that makes any sense. By that logic (the Author's logic!), you can safely assume that all characters are roughly two years older than their normal Gintama age. So if you were curious about any of this, then there you go. And if you weren't curious, well…there you go…**

**And that's it for now! As always, please leave a review with your thoughts and comments about the chapter! I wrote a lot this time so you should at least be able to find **_**something **_**to write about, so do it damn it! **

…**That sounds kind of pushy, doesn't it? Um, I'm sorry…see you all next chapter! **


	18. Book 2 - Chapter 4

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 4

It was early in the morning. The streets were almost entirely empty as most people were currently in their beds sleeping. However, there was one street that was not empty. There was also one person who was sleeping, but not in a bed.

Gintoki was the one walking slowly and quietly through that street. Tsukuyo was resting in his arms, completely asleep.

"Damn it," he suddenly whispered to himself. "Why did I have to fall in love with such a troublesome woman?"

He then started to think back on everything that had happened within the last few hours. Before long, he found himself quietly ranting about the whole situation as he continued walking.

"I'm just enjoying a nice evening alone with my girlfriend and the next thing I know she has a tiny sip of alcohol. It turns out that one sip is all she needs to get completely drunk in one go. Then she starts terrorizing everybody in the club while the manager is trying to kick us out. As soon as I start arguing with him, she goes ahead and runs out the door on her own!"

"So what do I do? I spend the next hour trying to chase her down and prevent her from doing anything stupid. The next thing I know, the Hyakka on patrol see her running wild and start chasing after her too! Eventually, they were able to help me capture her, but the moment we do she falls asleep!"

"So then what? The Hyakka start saying, '_You can take her home, right, Gin-san? She's your girlfriend after all, right, Gin-san?' _So then I have no choice but to pick her up and carry her home. Oh, but not her home. _My home. _You know, the one all the way up on the _surface_. And why is that? Because Hinowa is having some stupid meeting at her house and I'm not allowed to bring a sleeping drunk into the middle of it."

"And now here we are!" he finished, staring down at Tsukuyo out of annoyance. "I carried you all the way to the elevator and finally all the way here. Do you even know how far that is? It's exhausting! I better get a thank you or something for all of this!"

Once he was done, Gintoki continued to stare at Tsukuyo almost as if he was expecting a response. He then looked away and took a deep breath in order to calm down. It seemed like all of his ranting had helped to relieve some of his stress.

Gintoki then gave a big yawn as his eyes started to feel heavy. He looked back down to Tsukuyo before he started complaining again. "And how's come you're the only who gets to sleep anyway?" he asked. "I'm tired too you know."

In response, Tsukuyo just kept on snoozing. Her mouth was slightly hanging open and it almost looked like she was starting to drool a little bit.

Gintoki could only give a sigh as he looked at her. "Well, I guess you have been feeling tired lately with all of the hard work you've done. Perhaps you do deserve a little rest. I guess I should keep my voice down…"

Gintoki continued to stare at Tsukuyo as he began nearing his home. For some reason, he soon found himself smiling at the unconscious woman in his arms. He almost seemed charmed with her.

_She is kind of cute when she's sleeping _he thought to himself. _She's hardly moving or making a sound. She just looks so peaceful here…_

Gintoki decided to gently lean over and give her a kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams," he said quietly with a smile.

Upon looking back up, Gintoki finally found himself arriving on the street where he lived. He quickly made his way to his home and started climbing the stairs with Tsukuyo still resting in his arms. He managed to open the front door and quietly shut it behind him before walking down the hall.

As he entered the living room, he could hear Kagura snoring away in her closet. Sadaharu could be seen sleeping just outside her door. Gintoki simply ignored the two of them as he went ahead and carried Tsukuyo to his own room.

Once he was inside, he quietly closed the door behind him. He then walked over to his futon and gently placed Tsukuyo on top of it. He then did his best to make sure that she was comfortable by carefully adjusting her position. Once he was satisfied, he took a moment to recover from carrying her such a long distance.

_There, we finally made it. Now you can sleep all you want, and I can finally relax…_

Gintoki then gave another yawn as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

_Man, I'm exhausted. It sure has been a long night. I think I might just lay here and rest for a moment…_

Before he could even realize it, Gintoki was already lying on the futon next to Tsukuyo, completely asleep…

* * *

A few hours later, Tsukuyo suddenly found herself waking up in a daze. She slowly raised her head up and tried looking around, only to see everything through her cloudy vision. She then put a hand to her forehead in an effort to help herself wake up. Before long, she was able to realize that she was lying on her side on a futon mat.

_Ugh, where the hell am I? _she wondered.

As soon as she started feeling more alert, Tsukuyo quietly took another look around the room in an effort to make sense of her situation. She was soon able to recognize the place as Gintoki's bedroom.

_Oh, so I'm in Gintoki's room _she thought to herself as she gave a yawn. She then paused as the full realization came to her.

_Wait, if I'm in Gintoki's room, that means I'm lying on his futon right now…And if I'm on his futon, then that means…_

Tsukuyo quietly looked over her shoulder to find Gintoki's unconscious face right behind her. Tsukuyo's eyes immediately widened out of surprise as she cupped a hand over her mouth.

_What the hell!? _she almost screamed. _I'm…I'm sleeping with Gintoki!?_

She quickly slid away from the man before sitting up. She then put her hands to her head as she stared down at the floor. She was starting to freak out over the situation she currently found herself in.

_What the hell is going on!? Why am I sleeping with Gintoki? How did this even end up happening? There's no way…we didn't do _that_ together, did we? There's no way_ that_ happened, right?_

Tsukuyo frantically looked back and forth between herself and Gintoki before eventually realizing something. She then gave a quiet sigh of relief. Both she and Gintoki were fully clothed.

_So I guess we didn't do anything…naughty…Well, that's good. I was worried for a second there…_

Tsukuyo then yawned before lying back down on the futon. She started to wonder how she had come to end up there. She tried to remember what had happened before she fell asleep, but it was all just a blur.

_I can't remember anything right now. I guess I'll just have to ask Gintoki about it in the morning. For now, I should just go back to sleep…_

Tsukuyo quietly turned so that she lay on her side again and closed her eyes. She started to drift off to sleep when something suddenly caught her attention.

Tsukuyo's eyes immediately shot open as she realized that something had wrapped itself around her waist. She quickly lifted her head and looked down to see what exactly was going on. To her surprise, she found that it was actually Gintoki's arm that was currently holding her.

"Gintoki?" she whispered quietly, turning around to face her boyfriend.

Once again, Tsukuyo was surprised at what she found. Even though Gintoki was holding her, he was still fast asleep. However, she was soon able to notice that there was something different about him from a moment ago. His face looked worried, and there were even some drops of sweat on it. He appeared to be in some kind of discomfort.

"Unnh," he unconsciously moaned.

To Tsukuyo's surprise, Gintoki immediately tightened his hold on her and pulled her close to his body. He was firmly holding her so that the two of them were right up against each other. He then seemed to settle down a little bit as soon as that was accomplished.

While this was happening, Tsukuyo simply stayed still without fighting his actions. Instead of resisting, she simply stared at Gintoki with concern. Even though he had stopped moving, he still looked kind of upset and he was quietly mumbling to himself.

_He must be having a bad dream _she thought as she looked at him. _Poor guy. I wish there was something I could do to help. Maybe I could try to comfort him…_

Tsukuyo looked towards the arm wrapped around her and slowly reached out for it. She managed to find Gintoki's hand and she gently held it with her own.

"It's okay," she whispered to him. "I'm here."

After a while, Gintoki started to relax and quiet down. It seemed like his bad dream was finally coming to a close. He was soon resting peacefully once again.

Tsukuyo, however, still continued to hold onto his hand as she started thinking about the man. _I wonder what kind of dream could have had him so worried _she thought to herself. _He seemed kind of panicked about something. Maybe he was thinking about me? Or maybe Shinpachi or Kagura? Or maybe it has something to do with that war he fought in all those years ago…_

Tsukuyo quietly turned to look at Gintoki again. As she stared at him, she suddenly realized something.

_There's a lot I don't know about him…_

Tsukuyo gave a frown before laying her head back down on the pillow. _Now that I think about it, Gintoki is kind of secretive. He's never really told me anything about his past. I'm not even sure if Shinpachi or Kagura know that much about it. In fact, I think everything I know about his background I learned from other people. I wonder why he tries to keep it to himself…_

Tsukuyo gave another sigh. _That idiot _she thought. _Now he has me all worried about him over a stupid nightmare. Why does he have to keep secrets that make me concerned anyway?_

Tsukuyo then went back to thinking about Gintoki and his mysterious past. Truthfully, she really didn't know that much about him. She knew that he had fought in the Joi War when he was younger and that he had also lost his master, but even then she didn't really know the details.

Tsukuyo gave Gintoki's hand a gentle squeeze. _I wish you felt comfortable enough to tell me about all of this._

In response, Gintoki suddenly let out a quiet snore. The abrupt noise actually surprised Tsukuyo, who had not been expecting a reply from him. At the very least, she had not been expecting him to respond with that kind of sound.

Tsukuyo then let out a quiet snicker as she started to close her eyes. _Well, I guess he can tell me about it when he's ready. And when he is, I'll be right there waiting to listen._

She then readjusted herself so that she was comfortable in Gintoki's embrace before once again drifting off to sleep…

* * *

A little while later, morning had arrived. The sun could be seen rising into the sky, showering light on a new day. It was not long before people were soon walking throughout the streets, going about their usual business.

Gintoki and Tsukuyo, however, were still fast asleep on the samurai's futon. It seemed like the both of them were still tired from the previous night's events and didn't plan on waking up anytime soon.

The couple could be found sleeping peacefully in the same positions as before. Gintoki still held Tsukuyo up against his body with his arm wrapped around her. Tsukuyo was still holding his hand with her own.

Surprisingly, the both of them could be seen softly smiling, almost as if they could somehow tell what the other was doing. Despite the fact that they were both asleep, they still looked happy to be with each other.

As the couple continued snoozing, footsteps could quietly be heard from outside the bedroom door. It seemed like somebody was slowly approaching the room.

Suddenly, the door slid wide open and sunlight began pouring in. In the doorway stood Kagura, smiling with her arms outstretched.

"Time to wake up, Gin-chan!" she shouted into the room. "It's morning!"

The sudden introduction of light along with the young girl's shouting immediately forced the couple to wake up. Their eyes quickly shot open as they started to realize what exactly was going on.

"What the hell?" said Gintoki, rubbing his eyes as he looked straight into the light.

"K-Kagura?" Tsukuyo stuttered, staring at the young girl in disbelief.

"Huh?" said Kagura, immediately noticing that something was out of the ordinary. "Tsukky? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um, I…I was just-"

"Why are you sleeping with Gin-chan?"

Tsukuyo immediately jumped to her feet as she frantically waved her hands back and forth. "Kagura, it's not what it looks like!" she yelled as her face started to turn red.

Kagura gave the woman a look of confusion. She then turned towards Gintoki as she tried to figure out what was going on. "Really? Because it looked like you guys were sleeping together."

Gintoki also jumped to his feet in an effort to defend himself. "Hold on a second Kagura, we were not _sleeping_ together. We were just…uh, _resting_ near each other."

"I don't get it," she said with a blank face.

"It's like this," said Tsukuyo, trying to get the young girl to understand. "We kind of just happened to fall asleep next to each other."

"Yeah, that's it," said Gintoki, nodding his head in agreement. "We were just sleeping, that's all."

"We didn't do anything else," said Tsukuyo. "Not a thing."

"We definitely didn't do anything with each other. Nope, not at all."

"We were just sleeping."

"There's no way we did anything like _that._"

"Of course not! We would never do something like _that._"

"Yeah, so basically, we didn't do anything. So don't bother telling anyone about what you saw here," Gintoki told her.

"Do you understand, Kagura?" asked Tsukuyo with a pleading tone in her voice.

In response, Kagura simply continued to stare at them out of confusion. "What are you guys talking about?"

Gintoki and Tsukuyo both looked at each other before giving a sigh of relief. It seemed like Kagura was actually completely clueless about the whole situation.

"Um, don't worry about it," said Gintoki.

"Yeah, it was nothing," said Tsukuyo.

Kagura continued to look confused before a realization suddenly struck her. "Wait a minute," she said before giving the couple a weird look. "Is _that_ the thing you were talking about just now? You mean you guys were having…_sex_?"

"NO THAT'S NOT IT!" Gintoki shouted at the top of his lungs. "You've got it all wrong! We were not doing that last night! Nobody was doing that last night!"

"T-that's right, Kagura," said Tsukuyo, starting to freak out even more than before. "We definitely didn't do that last night!"

"You don't even know what that word means, right? So just go ahead and forget about it. It's nothing to worry about!"

"Yes, forget about it! It's really not important at all!"

"Yeah, so don't go out and tell people about this!"

Kagura just continued to give the couple a weird look as she stood there. "You guys are acting kind of strange," she told them.

"Well of course we are! You're accusing us of something we clearly didn't do!" Gintoki shouted.

"So…you guys didn't do that then?" asked Kagura in an innocent tone.

Gintoki took a deep breath in order to calm down. "No, we really didn't do anything last night, so do us a favor and just drop it, ok?"

"Please Kagura, promise you won't tell anyone about this. Even though we didn't do anything, other people might get the wrong idea…" said Tsukuyo, giving the girl a pleading look.

Kagura continued to stare at them for a moment before finally giving a shrug. "Yeah, sure, I promise," she said, suddenly looking like she no longer cared about the situation in front of her. "If this is going to make you guys so upset, I'll just shut up about it."

"Really?" asked Tsukuyo, sounding relieved. "Thank you, Kagura. We appreciate it."

"Yeah, whatever," replied the young girl, clearly not interested. She then went ahead and turned around before walking out of sight from the doorway.

Gintoki and Tsukuyo soon let their guards down before giving another sigh of relief. They had finally been able to prevent Kagura from having any suspicions or starting any rumors based on what she had seen. For some reason, it was starting to feel like they were hiding secrets all over again, even though they didn't actually have anything to hide. Nevertheless, the couple's 'secret' was safe for the time being.

"By the way," said Kagura, suddenly reappearing in the doorway. "The next time Tsukky comes over for a sleepover, let me know, would ya? We can all have more fun together that way."

Kagura then gave a small smile before once again disappearing from view. Tsukuyo simply stared after the girl before turning to Gintoki with a look of curiosity.

In response, Gintoki just shrugged before giving her a smile. "Well, good morning," he said.

Tsukuyo continued to stare at him for a moment before giving a yawn. She then smiled back to him as she lightly scratched the top of her head.

"Good morning?" she repeated. "Heh, _yeah right_."

* * *

**Hello everyone! I really hope you enjoyed this Gintsu heavy chapter, and maybe even gave a laugh or two. What's that? You didn't laugh at all? Oh…well, that's cool…**

**Anyways, today I'm going to talk about something unrelated to this story or Gintama, so do me a favor and listen anyway! I just recently caught up to the manga known as **_**Berserk**_**. I must say, it's one of the best series I've ever read and I highly recommend it. It really has just about everything you could ever want in a series: amazing story, characters, artwork, it's all great! Be warned though, the content is very mature and often graphic, so keep that in mind. After all, I don't want to give anyone nightmares or anything. But then again, would it really be my fault? (*gives innocent face*)**

**So yeah, feel free to give **_**Berserk **_**a try if you haven't already. It really is incredible. Hopefully, you won't regret looking into it ;)**

**In other news, I recently read something that got me very excited! It may not matter much to some of you, but I myself am very happy to hear that **_**One Punch Man **_**will be getting an English print release! Up until this point, this series has only been available digitally, which I'm not the biggest fan of. I personally prefer to read out of a physical book if I can, so this news made me very happy :D**

**So yeah, I'll probably end up buying those books then XD I just can't help it, **_**One Punch Man **_**is also an amazing series that I recommend checking out. It's even getting an anime this fall, so all of you promise to go watch it!**

**Well, now that I'm done advertising all of this manga, I'll start wrapping things up XD Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and look forward to the next one! See you all later!**


	19. Book 2 - Chapter 5

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 5

Gintoki and Tsukuyo were now left alone within the samurai's bedroom. It seemed like the two of them were still trying to wake themselves up even after all of the excitement that had recently taken place.

"Did you have a good sleep last night?" asked Gintoki, looking towards Tsukuyo.

"Yeah, for the most part," she replied. She then paused for a moment, staring back at him. "What about you?" she asked.

"Huh?" said Gintoki, scratching the back of his head.

"Did you sleep well?" she repeated.

"Oh…uh, yeah, it was good…" he replied, suddenly turning away from the courtesan.

Tsukuyo simply continued to stare at Gintoki as she thought back on what she had witnessed in the middle of the night.

_He's lying…_

It was true; Gintoki had not slept well, and Tsukuyo had noticed it. At some point in the night, it was clear that he had been having some kind of nightmare. Tsukuyo soon started to think about bringing the topic of the nightmare up to him, but quickly stopped herself.

_No, I shouldn't bring it up _she thought. _It's clear that for whatever reason, he's trying to hide the truth from me and doesn't want to talk about it. Plus, I did make a promise last night that I would be patient and wait to talk with him about his past. I'm not going to ask him about it until he's ready. So for now, I guess I should just drop it._

"Hey, Tsukuyo," said Gintoki, suddenly turning to face her.

"Huh? Oh, what?" asked Tsukuyo, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Do you have to be anywhere anytime soon?" he asked.

Tsukuyo took a second to think about it. "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"Do you care to stay for breakfast?" he asked with a small grin.

Tsukuyo simply smiled in return before answering. "Sure, that sounds great," she replied.

Gintoki gave her another smile before making his way to the door. "Good," he said.

* * *

A little while later, Tsukuyo and Kagura were sitting next to each other on one of the couches in the living room. On the couch across from them sat Gintoki. All three of them were currently chowing down on a bowl of cereal they held in their hands.

"So," said Kagura, trying to start some conversation, "how did you end up here last night, Tsukky?"

"Oh, I'm actually not sure," said Tsukuyo, still trying to remember. "I was actually planning on asking you about that, Gintoki."

Gintoki stopped eating for a moment as he looked towards Tsukuyo. "You sure about that?" he asked. "I don't think you're going to like the answer."

Tsukuyo gave him a slight look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you remember?" asked Gintoki. "You went pretty crazy last night."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tsukuyo, still confused.

Gintoki just continued to look at her before giving a sigh. "Come on, you really don't remember anything?"

Tsukuyo paused and tried to think back to the last thing she recalled from the night before. "Let's see," she said. "I know we met up and went to that club together. I also remember Kami-sama showing up and we spent some time with him…"

"And then?" asked Gintoki, trying to help jog her memory.

"I remember I left to get us some drinks…"

"And after that?"

"Um," said Tsukuyo, trying to think back. "I'm not really sure. Everything after that point is just a blur."

Gintoki just gave a small laugh before looking Tsukuyo in the eye. "Figures you don't remember," he said, "because after that point you were completely drunk."

"What?" asked Tsukuyo, surprised at the news. "I was…drunk?"

"Yeah, I guess you must have had a little drink or something because you were going crazy in seconds."

"Wait, seriously?" asked Tsukuyo, hardly believing what Gintoki was telling her.

"Yeah, you were shouting and swinging a bottle around. Everyone around you was scared for their life. A lot of stuff was broken too."

"Ugh, I don't believe it," said Tsukuyo putting a hand to her head out of embarrassment. "Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry to say it's true," said Gintoki.

"Wait a minute," said Tsukuyo, suddenly realizing something. "D-did Kami-sama see any of this?" she asked nervously.

Gintoki gave her a small smile of sympathy as he nodded his head up and down.

Tsukuyo immediately started to blush before burying her face in her hands. It was obvious that she was ashamed of herself. "How could this have happened?" she whined.

"That's what I wanted to ask you about," said Gintoki, suddenly looking serious. "You should know better than to drink that stuff. You know what it does to you."

"It's true, Tsukky," Kagura chimed in. "I've seen you like that before, it's not pretty."

Tsukuyo lifted her head up and looked at the two of them. "I don't know what happened," she said. "I don't normally do something stupid like that. It must have happened by accident or something…"

Gintoki continued to look at her before giving a sigh. He just couldn't stay upset with her when she looked like that. "Well, you do look like you feel pretty bad about the whole thing, so I'm not going to bother scolding you any longer."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Aw, don't worry about it," said Gintoki, trying to make her feel better. "It wasn't that big of a deal. Even Kami seemed to understand."

"Really?" said Tsukuyo, starting to cheer up a little bit. "Oh, good. I was kind of worried about what he would think."

"Don't be. He seems like a pretty considerate guy; he won't hold it against you."

"Yeah, I think you're right," she agreed. She then paused for a moment before realizing that her original question had yet to be answered. "So then, how did I end up here?"

"Well, I ended up chasing you around the city for a while before you finally passed out. I was going to carry you home but I remembered about that stupid meeting at your house. I figured I couldn't interrupt it so I just carried you here instead."

"Wow," said Tsukuyo, looking at the samurai with admiration. "You really carried me all the way here just because of that meeting?"

Gintoki looked away as he started eating his cereal again. "Well, you said it was important so I just figured…"

Tsukuyo just watched him eat as a big smile came to her face. "That was incredibly nice of you, Gintoki. Thank you."

Gintoki just shrugged. "It was no big deal, really…"

"Still, thank you," she said sincerely.

Gintoki looked at Tsukuyo for a moment before thinking back on how upset he had been when he was carrying her home. For some reason, none of that seemed to matter to him now. In his mind, seeing her smile and hearing her thanks had made all of his hard work worth it.

"Sure, anything for you," he said sweetly.

Tsukuyo then stared back at him with a warm smile. It was clear that she was pleased with the man. Gintoki also looked rather pleased himself.

Kagura, on the other hand, simply stared at Gintoki with a weird look. "Man, you're acting strange again, Gin-chan," she told him.

"Huh?" said Gintoki, turning to face the girl. "What are you talking about?"

"It's weird," she said. "When you're around Tsukky, you act differently. You actually act like a likeable person. It almost seems like you're trying to behave yourself or something."

As he listened, Gintoki started to become agitated with what the young girl was saying. "What do you mean? I don't act differently."

"Yeah, you get all soft and start acting like a pudding cup."

"Pudding cup? What kind of comparison is that, huh? How the hell do I act like a food? You don't even know what you're talking about!"

"You know what?" asked Kagura, starting to smile as she teased the samurai. "I think you're acting all soft because you're _in love_…"

Gintoki started lightly blushing as he grit his teeth. "So what if I am?" he asked, starting to sound angry.

Kagura soon started laughing. "Man, I used to think you were a total badass, but I guess you've just turned into a soft little _lover's boy_."

"Grrr," growled Gintoki, suddenly standing up. "Listen you, I-"

"Gintoki," said Tsukuyo, calling his attention.

Gintoki immediately stopped and turned towards his girlfriend. She was lightly smiling at the situation in front of her. It actually almost seemed like she was trying to hold back laughter.

"Calm down," she told him. "Kagura is only teasing you."

Gintoki tried to listen to her, but he was still too upset. "But she-"

"I know," said Tsukuyo calmly. "We all know that none of what she's saying is true. She's only trying to make you mad and you're easily falling for it. So please just calm down before you make a fool out of yourself."

Gintoki continued looking at Tsukuyo before taking a deep breath. He soon calmed himself down and had his body under control. "You're right," he said. "It's obvious she wants me to play her little game, but I should just ignore her. I don't really care what she has to say anyway."

The room was then silent for a moment before Kagura gave a small snort. "Heh, _lover's boy_," she said with a grin.

"ALRIGHT THAT'S IT!" Gintoki screamed as he once again gave in to his rage. He immediately jumped towards Kagura as she started running away. "COME HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

Kagura just laughed as she ran around the room with Gintoki chasing after her. She was clearly happy that she had successfully been able to piss him off. For some reason, she found it to be fun.

Tsukuyo, however, could only give a sigh as she went back to eating her cereal. _It's true that Kagura is kind of a kid, but Gintoki isn't really that far off himself. Unbelievable._

Laughing and shouting could be heard throughout the room as Gintoki continued to chase down Kagura. After a short while, Tsukuyo was suddenly able to pick up a faint sound amidst the chaos. It was the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

Tsukuyo glanced at the other two before quietly standing up. She then gave another sigh as she walked towards the door. _I guess I'll have to answer it._

Once she arrived at the door, she immediately opened it to be greeted by two smiling faces. On the left stood the boy with glasses, Shinpachi. On the right stood the hopeless madao, Hasegawa.

"Oh, good morning, Shinpachi, Hasegawa," said Tsukuyo.

"Tsukuyo-san?" asked Shinpachi out of surprise. It was obvious that he had not been expecting to see her there.

Hasegawa also looked at the courtesan with surprise. "Tsukuyo?" he said. "Wow, I didn't know that you and Gin-san were living together."

Tsukuyo quickly gave the man a frown and a scowl. "We're not," she said rather abruptly.

"Oh, r-really?" stuttered Hasegawa, suddenly feeling intimidated by the woman. "I didn't know, I-I mean…"

Tsukuyo started to realize that she had unintentionally scared the man with her answer. She soon found herself feeling bad for him. "Um, I'm sorry," she said, "this morning has been kind of stressful."

"What are you doing here?" asked Shinpachi in a polite tone.

"It's kind of a long story. Why don't you guys come on in?" said Tsukuyo, stepping out of the way.

"Right, thanks," said the two men in unison. They quietly walked into the hall as Tsukuyo closed the door behind them.

"So," said Tsukuyo, "I figured that Shinpachi was probably on his way here, but it's a nice surprise seeing you, Hasegawa. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Ah," said the madao, giving a big smile. "I happened to run into a bit of luck and I now have some great news to share with you all."

"It's true," Shinpachi added, also smiling. "I ran into Hasegawa-san on the way here and he told me all about it. I invited him to come over here and tell everyone else the good news."

"I see," said Tsukuyo, looking pleasantly surprised. "Gintoki and Kagura are in the main room. Let's go join them so you can tell us all about your good luck, Hasegawa."

"Right," he said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

The three of them then made their way down the hall. Upon arriving at the main room, they all paused for a moment in order to take in the situation they found in front of them.

_Oh shit _thought Tsukuyo.

Gintoki and Kagura were locked in a tight embrace on the floor. They were both trying their best to grab at each other while at the same time fending each other off. It almost looked like the two of them were in the middle of a wrestling match. They both seemed really upset with each other.

Tsukuyo simply stared down at them with a hand on her forehead. _That's right _she thought. _I completely forgot about these two. I should have settled this before I invited anyone in. Oh well, too late now._

Shinpachi and Hasegawa just stared in silence at the two of them. They weren't quite sure what to say about the situation.

Gintoki suddenly reached out and managed to grab Kagura by the chin. "Stop calling me a lover's boy!" he demanded.

In response, Kagura stuck her tongue out at him.

"Why you-"

"Alright, that's enough you two!" Tsukuyo shouted as she walked over and separated them. "Can't you see that someone is here to see you?"

"Huh?" said the both of them in unison. They looked up to find the two new arrivals standing right in front of them.

"Oh," said Kagura, "it's just Shinpachi and Madao."

The two men just continued staring, as they still weren't quite sure what was going on. "Um, is this a bad time?" asked Hasegawa with a confused look.

"No, don't worry about it," said Gintoki, standing up and brushing himself off. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, right," said Hasegawa, suddenly remembering with a smile. "Shinpachi invited me over because I have some good news to share with you all."

"Really? What is it?" asked Gintoki, looking interested. Tsukuyo and Kagura also seemed curious about what the man had to say.

"Go on, Hasegawa-san," said Shinpachi with a reassuring smile.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," said Hasegawa, nervously looking at the floor, "but I finally landed a nice job!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces revealed expressions of shock. They had not been expecting this piece of news.

"Wait, seriously?" said Gintoki, looking skeptical. "You mean somebody actually hired you?"

"I know, right? I can hardly believe it either!" he said excitedly. "I'm finally going to be able to make a living for myself!"

"Where exactly are you working now?" asked Tsukuyo, becoming even more curious.

"Oh, you guys aren't going to believe this!" he shouted, the grin on his face getting bigger. "I actually managed to get a job within the Edo Castle!"

At the mention of this, everyone's jaw fell open.

"E-Edo Castle?" stuttered Gintoki. "You mean the place where the Shogun lives?"

"That's right," said Hasegawa. "I'm going to be doing some housework kinds of things there. I'll mostly just be helping take care of the grounds along with the building. It's some pretty simple stuff."

"Wow, that sounds great," said Tsukuyo, still surprised.

"It is! I'm actually going to be working at one of the most important buildings in all of Edo. Plus, the people that hired me are really nice and they're even starting me off with a good wage too! Oh, and the best part is, they're even going to let me wear my sunglasses the entire time I'm working!"

"Um, is that really the best part?" asked Shinpachi, giving the man a look of doubt.

"I don't believe it!" Gintoki shouted as he looked away. "A job at Edo Castle? Some people just get all the luck!"

"Um, when have I ever had all the luck?" asked Hasegawa, looking upset.

"Huh," said Kagura, "so then Madao is no longer a madao?"

"Nope, I'll finally be free of that ridiculous title! I think from now on, things are going to start looking up!" he shouted positively.

"Well congratulations, Hasegawa," said Tsukuyo, giving him a smile. "I hope everything works out for you."

"Thanks a lot, Tsukuyo. That was very kind of you."

A moment of silence fell on the group before Shinpachi turned to his fellow coworkers. "Don't you guys have anything you want to say to Hasegawa-san?" he asked them.

"Try not to screw this up," said Gintoki bluntly.

"You'll always be a madao to me," said Kagura with a blank face.

"Um…right. Thanks, guys," said Hasegawa, looking slightly annoyed.

After that, silence once again fell onto the room. Tsukuyo quietly looked at the nearby clock before deciding it was time to go.

"Well, I think I should probably start heading back home," said Tsukuyo, turning to the group in front of her. "Hinowa is probably wondering where I am. I was originally supposed to be back last night."

"Uh-oh," said Gintoki, playfully smiling. "I hope I didn't get you into trouble."

"Very funny, but it's not a big deal. I'll just explain where I was; she'll understand."

"Well, alright then," said Gintoki, slowly walking over to where she stood. He then grabbed her by the hands and gently pulled her in close. "I'll see you again sometime?" he asked.

The two of them lightly kissed before slowly pulling away. "On the evening of the 13th," said Tsukuyo. "Don't forget, we're supposed to meet with Kami-sama that night."

"Right," said Gintoki, staring into her eyes. "I'll be there."

"I'll see you then," said Tsukuyo, staring back.

The two of them continued to hold each other for a moment longer before finally breaking away. Tsukuyo then gave a wave to everyone as she started making her way out of the room. "See you all later," she said.

They all gave her a wave goodbye as they watched her walk down the hall. Before long, she was already out the door and on her way.

"It was nice to see her again," said Hasegawa, turning to face Gintoki. "She's a really nice girl. I take it you two are still doing well?"

"Yeah, we've been great," said Gintoki. "Better than ever, actually."

"Gin-san, by any chance, have you gotten her a Valentines gift yet?" asked Shinpachi, looking curious.

"Oh," said Gintoki, suddenly not looking very excited. "I'm still trying to figure that one out," he said truthfully.

"Valentines gift?" repeated Hasegawa. "That reminds me, I should probably get something for Hatsu…"

"Seriously, Gin-san?" said Shinpachi, looking disappointed. "You know that Valentines Day is only a few days away."

"I know, I know," said Gintoki, clearly looking stressed. "I just can't come up with anything!"

"Really?" asked Hasegawa, looking surprised. "You seriously can't think of a single thing?"

"Well, it's complicated…I mean, I did think of _one thing_, but…I don't know…"

"Just go with your gut instinct," said Kagura. "That should work out for you."

"I would if I knew what my gut was telling me," he replied.

"Look, it's simple," said Hasegawa, calling the samurai's attention. "You just need to get her something that will make her happy. That's all there is to it."

Gintoki just gave a sigh. "I think that only makes it more complicated…" he said.

Shinpachi then gave a sigh himself. "Well, just keep working on it," he told him. "Don't forget that you promised all of us that you would get her something nice."

"Yeah, I know," said Gintoki, holding his head in his hands out of stress.

"Good," said Shinpachi, looking satisfied. He then gave him a smile before deciding to encourage him. "And try not to worry so much, you'll come up with something nice. I'm sure of it."

"Right, thanks," said Gintoki, slowly looking towards the floor_._ He kept on thinking for a moment before finally giving a sigh.

_I just wish I knew what to do! _he thought.

* * *

A little while later, Tsukuyo arrived back at her house. She managed to quietly enter the building without alerting anyone of her presence. She then proceeded to make her way into the living room only to be surprised at what she found. It would appear that Hinowa had been sitting in there waiting for her.

"Oh Tsukuyo," she said, turning to face her. "You're finally back home."

Tsukuyo just stared at her for a second before taking a step into the room. "Right, I'm back," she said bluntly. She then started slowly walking towards the woman waiting in the wheelchair.

"Why didn't you come back last night?" asked Hinowa with a slightly worried look. "Did something come up?"

"Well, some stuff happened," said Tsukuyo, not really bothering to go into the details. "I ended up spending the night at Gintoki's place. It kind of just worked out that way."

"Oh, I see," said Hinowa, looking slightly surprised. "So, you and Gin-san spent the whole night alone together? You two have never done that before."

"Well, we weren't really alone. I mean, Kagura was there and-"

"Did you guys do anything..._special _together?" asked Hinowa with a rather playful smile.

"Special?" asked Tsukuyo, looking confused. "What do you mean?"

"You know, did you guys express your love or anything like that?"

Tsukuyo suddenly froze. "Wait a minute, you mean…" She immediately started blushing as she realized what Hinowa was referring to.

"Well, did you?" Hinowa asked again.

"No, we absolutely did not!" shouted Tsukuyo, looking rather flustered. "We did not have a special moment or express love or anything like that! I just stayed at his place for the night, that's all!"

Hinowa just gave a small laugh before looking back up to Tsukuyo. "Oh, calm down, I was only joking," she said.

In response, Tsukuyo just silently stared back at her with a look of doubt. _Were you? Were you really joking just now? You seemed pretty into it considering it was just a joke…And why does everyone keep asking that question anyway!?_

"Look," she finally said. "Please don't say things like that anymore. Gintoki and I, we're not that kind of couple."

"Well, maybe not right now," said Hinowa with a smile, "but you might be someday. And you know, it's not really something to be ashamed of. In fact, it's perfectly normal to-"

"Hinowa…" Tsukuyo whined. "Please stop…"

"Oh, alright fine. If it will make you happy, I'll stop talking about it," said Hinowa with a sigh.

"Thank you," said Tsukuyo, looking relieved. She then started to walk away when Hinowa decided to add one last comment.

"Just let me know if you ever have any questions or need some advice on that stuff," she said with a wink.

"Hinowa!" Tsukuyo shouted, once again looking upset.

"Heh, _kidding_," she said, giving a smile.

Tsukuyo just sighed before turning back around._ I seriously doubt it_ she thought with a frown.

* * *

**Wow, this chapter was way longer than I thought it would be! I actually thought it would end up being shorter than normal, but man, I just wrote on and on. I guess that's the way it usually is, right? XD**

**Anyways, I gave Hasegawa an appearance! And not only that, but I gave him a good job too! Wow, I'm so nice XD If you were thinking that his appearance in this chapter was kind of random, don't worry, it was. I honestly only included him as a setup for things to come in the future. I have some plans for him, nothing too big, but still important…**

**Anyway, a lot of you reacted positively to me talking about Berserk and One Punch Man last chapter, so maybe I should talk more about different series in the future…or right now XD**

**My cousin just started watching **_**Yu Yu Hakusho**_** for the first time. I'd like to say it's the first **_**real**_** anime he's ever seen XD I'm actually surprised to hear that he really likes it because he's never shown any interest in something like anime. I didn't even tell him to watch it either; he just started on his own because he knew I had seen it before. Funny how that works out, isn't it?**

**Now I seem to find myself wanting to watch **_**Yu Yu Hakusho**_** again. I should have figured this would happen. One person I know starts watching an anime and all I want to do is watch it and talk about it with them. How the hell does this kind of thing even happen?**

**Oh, sorry, I seem to have started rambling. Well, I better wrap things up. Next chapter, I'll be getting back to Kami and Yoshiwara, so look forward to it! Also please leave a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter! Thanks a lot, see ya!**


	20. Book 2 - Chapter 6

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 6

The evening of February 13th had finally arrived. Gintoki and Tsukuyo were once again walking through the streets of Yoshiwara. They were currently making their way to the palace where they would soon have their scheduled meeting with Kami.

As they walked, Tsukuyo appeared to be lecturing Gintoki on how to act during the meeting. "Remember to be polite and use your manners," she told him. "Try not to be rude or disrespectful. Also try not to say or do anything stupid in front of him. Plus, you need to remember to-"

"Alright, that's enough!" Gintoki shouted, turning towards her. "I know how to behave, Tsukuyo, you don't have to tell me every little detail. Besides, Kami already seems to like me anyway."

Tsukuyo just looked at him for a second before turning away and giving a sigh. "I know. I'm just trying to make sure that you won't do anything stupid in front of him."

"Well, you can stop worrying about that," said Gintoki with a smile. "It's not like I'm going to go on a drunken rampage or anything like that."

"That's not funny," said Tsukuyo with a glare.

Gintoki noticed her tone and quickly stopped smiling. "Right, sorry," he replied.

"It's been a long time since I last put a kunai in your forehead. Do you want me to start doing that again?"

"Please don't," he begged.

Tsukuyo just smiled as she crossed her arms. "That's what I thought."

After that, Gintoki just kept quiet as he watched Tsukuyo out of the corner of his eye. _When the hell did this start happening? All she has to do is mention the word 'kunai' and I'm completely under her control. Then again, I guess being threatened is better than actually taking a kunai to the head. That's always the worst…_

The couple continued to walk on in silence until they eventually arrived at their destination. Yoshiwara's palace stood as the largest building in the city and could easily be spotted from any angle. It was actually the exact same building in which the previous overlord, Hosen, had once lived and ruled. After his defeat, the palace had mostly remained untouched and uninhabited until just recently with the sudden arrival of Kami. As the city's newest overlord, the palace had been freely offered to him as his own personal living space. He had since humbly accepted and moved in to the building along with his guards and assistants.

As Gintoki and Tsukuyo approached the front door, two of Kami's guards could be spotted standing outside. They were both big, burly men with serious expressions on their faces.

Surprisingly, seeing the two of them was actually a rather new experience for Yoshiwara. Previously, the Hyakka had been the ones who were appointed to guard the palace. Once Kami had arrived, the services of the Hyakka had been offered to the young man, but he had politely declined. He insisted that the guards he brought with him were more than capable of doing the job and that they would not require any assistance. From that point forward, Kami's men could be seen stationed at several different places in and around the palace.

The couple slowly walked up to the two guards before stopping in front of them. "Good evening," said Tsukuyo. "We're here for a scheduled meeting with Kami-sama."

One of the guards quietly picked up a nearby clipboard and looked at it. "Let' see. There's supposed to be a meeting scheduled for Tsukuyo and Gintoki. Would that be you two?"

"That's us," said Tsukuyo with a smile.

"I see," he replied, gently putting the clipboard back down. "Right this way, then." The guard politely opened the door and allowed the couple to enter. Once they were inside, he quietly led them up the main stairway and down a hall.

As they walked, Gintoki and Tsukuyo couldn't help but look around. Everything within the palace looked mostly the same as it did before and it even had a sense of familiarity to it. The scenery soon started bringing up past memories to the couple, both good and bad.

Tsukuyo took a second to quietly look back at Gintoki. "That's all over now," she whispered.

In response, Gintoki just gave a small nod. "Right," he whispered back.

Tsukuyo continued staring at him for a second before turning back around. Gintoki then took a moment to reflect on what she had just told him. _She meant to tell me more than 'that's all over now'. She was trying to say that things are different now. Hosen is gone and a new overlord is running things. We don't have to worry about the past anymore. That's basically what she was trying to tell me…_

A short while later, the guard stopped in the middle of a hallway and opened the door in front of him. "This is where your meeting will be taking place," he said. "Please feel free to make yourselves comfortable. Kami-sama will be here in just a moment."

"Thank you," said Tsukuyo as she walked into the room. Gintoki soon followed behind. Once the both of them were inside, the guard quietly exited the room and closed the door behind him.

The room itself was nothing that special. It was of average size and had a few cushions lying on the floor for people to sit on. It was just a simple place that seemed sufficient enough for holding meetings.

"Well," said Gintoki, looking around, "we might as well make ourselves at home." He walked over to one of the cushions and plopped down on top of it. He then turned towards Tsukuyo and patted the cushion next to him. "Have a seat," he said.

"Right," said Tsukuyo, quietly walking over to join him. The two of them sat there in silence for a moment before she decided to speak up. "You know, I never really did thank you for agreeing to come with me tonight. This was actually a really nice favor on your part, so thank you."

Gintoki just quietly stared back at her before replying. "Forget it, I wanted to come. I don't really need a thank you for something like this."

"Well, it's not just that," said Tsukuyo, quietly looking to the floor. "It just seems like you've been doing a lot for me lately without asking for anything in return. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate that."

Gintoki continued staring at her before looking away. He then closed his eyes as he started scratching the back of his head. "Oh, just forget about it. If I do something for you, it's because I want to do it. So don't bother thanking me for it. After all, I'm basically just doing whatever the hell I want."

Tsukuyo simply turned to look at him as she gave a small laugh. "Is that so?" she asked.

"That's the truth," he replied stubbornly.

Tsukuyo just smiled at him before slowly leaning towards him. "Thank you, Gintoki," she whispered before gently kissing him on the cheek.

"Oh my," said a sudden voice from across the room. "Are we interrupting something?"

Gintoki and Tsukuyo both looked up to find Kami entering the room through the door across from them. He carefully adjusted his glasses over his big green eyes as he glanced at the scene in front of him. Behind him stood Edward, who was giving his usual small smile.

"Um, please forgive me," said Kami with a look of surprise. "I didn't realize that you two were in the middle of something."

Tsukuyo's face immediately turned red as she frantically waved her hands back and forth. "Oh, you're not interrupting anything!" she shouted. "We were just…um…"

Kami just gave a small laugh as he walked over and sat down. "It's alright, don't worry about it. I understand what you were doing."

Despite what the overlord had said, Tsukuyo still looked rather flustered and embarrassed. "I, uh…yeah…sorry," she said nervously.

"Forget about it," said Kami, still laughing. "Anyways, it's nice to see the two of you again. How are you both doing?"

"We're great," said Gintoki, answering for the both of them as Tsukuyo tried to calm herself down.

"Wonderful," said Kami, giving a smile. "Shall we get right into it then?"

"Sounds good," said Gintoki, returning the smile.

Edward quietly walked over and sat down with the rest of them. He then pulled out his usual pocketbook along with a pen. "I'm ready to begin," he said.

"Alright," said Kami. "Let's get started. Tonight we will be discussing our plans for the upcoming Hyakka celebration ceremony."

As soon as Kami started talking, Edward began writing down everything the overlord was saying. He appeared to be the official note-taker for the evening.

"Here are the things we need to discuss," said Kami, looing at the couple. "We need to know what exactly we're going to do for the celebration. We will need to set a time and place. We will also need to know who will be involved in the ceremony and who will be willing to help set everything up."

Kami then gave another smile to the both of them. "Those are the basics that we need to cover tonight. I'm hoping you two will be willing to share your input on these topics."

"Of course," said Tsukuyo, suddenly acting like her usual self again.

"Great, so let's get started with the first thing. What are we going to do for the celebration?"

"Well, this whole thing was your idea, Kami-sama," said Tsukuyo politely. "I assume you must have had something in mind when you thought of it. What were you thinking about doing?"

"Well, I was originally thinking about doing something kind of like a parade. You know, something that would be fun for the citizens while still acknowledging the Hyakka's efforts."

Tsukuyo quietly looked away as she thought about it. "That sounds like a good idea, but I think there should be a little more to it. Do you think we could have an official public celebration after the parade?"

"What exactly did you have in mind?" asked Kami, looking interested.

"Maybe an awards ceremony or something like that. I think giving the Hyakka some kind of gift would be a good way of physically showing your thanks."

"I see. Yes, it sounds wonderful! I can even give a speech publicly thanking all of them for their hard work. It would be a good way to help the citizens understand just how much hard work you all do in order to keep this city safe."

"Yes, that sounds great," said Tsukuyo with a smile.

"I completely agree," said Kami, also smiling. "What about you, Gintoki? What do you think?"

"Huh?" said Gintoki, suddenly caught off guard. He had not really been paying that much attention. "Oh, yeah, sure. It sounds great," he replied.

"Excellent!" said Kami, appearing not to notice the samurai's indifference. "So then, the celebration will consist of a parade followed by a public thank you, speech, and awards ceremony."

"Got it," said Edward as he finished writing everything down.

The conversation then started moving forward to picking a date on which the ceremony would take place. Gintoki found himself once again tuning everything out as he slouched in his seat. He honestly didn't really care that much about the meeting or the upcoming celebration. He actually felt a little out of place, seeing as he didn't even live within Yoshiwara. It just didn't seem like something he needed to comment on. After all, the meeting really had nothing to do with him.

_Man, this meeting is more boring than I thought it would be. It doesn't even have anything to do with me. Why did I want to come to this thing anyway? It's just a stupid ceremony; do we really have to plan out every little detail?_

Gintoki then turned to Tsukuyo to see her discussing something with a smile on her face. He stared at her for a second before looking away. _Well, she does seem kind of excited about the whole thing. I guess I should be happy for her. After all, I think she really deserves it. She cares a lot about this city and works hard to keep it safe…_

_Yeah, I hope Kami can make an amazing ceremony, for her sake…_

* * *

A short while later, the meeting appeared to be coming to a close. The group had finally finished discussing every topic that needed to be covered that night.

"Alright," said Kami, deciding to go over everything one last time. "We will try and hold the celebration in about two weeks. Everyone in the city will be invited and welcome. If possible, we will ensure that every member of the Hyakka is present for the ceremony. In the meantime, I will have someone go out and find volunteers to gather materials and help set everything up."

Kami then paused to take a breath. "Am I forgetting anything?"

"Nope, that's all," said Edward, snapping his pocketbook shut.

"Good," replied the overlord, a look of relief on his face. "I'll do my best to make sure that everything works out smoothly. I'm going to try to ensure a wonderful celebration for both you and the Hyakka."

"Thank you so much, Kami-sama," said Tsukuyo, giving him a warm smile. "You have no idea how much this means to all of us."

"Oh, please," said Kami, also starting to smile, "_the pleasure is all mine_."

He then showed his teeth in another one of his big, confident grins.

Gintoki suddenly paused as he looked at it. _That grin…!_

Gintoki once again managed to sense something familiar in the back of his mind. _It's that grin again! I know I've seen it before! I just can't remember when…_

Gintoki continued to sit still as he stared at the overlord's familiar grin. He was soon able to notice that there was something different about this particular grin then the one he had seen before. Kami's big green eyes were unusually wide, giving off a rather intense gaze. His smiling set of teeth almost looked like they were clenched. If Gintoki could have described his expression, he might have classified it as a look of extreme excitement.

_This grin is a lot more intense than the last one. It's almost like there's something a little more to it…I can almost detect a hint of malice within that smile…_

Gintoki suddenly found himself lightly sweating in his seat. He couldn't move; he felt nervous. Staring at that overlord's grin, it made him feel…intimidated…

"My lord," said Edward suddenly. "I understand you're very enthusiastic about all of this, but please try to calm down and contain yourself. You're giving our guests a rather unusual look…"

To Gintoki's surprise, Kami immediately snapped back to normal. He closed his eyes as he gave a soft smile. "Ah, you're right. Forgive me, I was just really excited there for a second," he said, giving a small laugh.

"It's alright, I think everyone else will feel the same way when they hear about this, Kami-sama," said Tsukuyo with a soft smile.

Gintoki immediately turned to face her. _Did she not notice it? _he wondered._ Is she too caught up in the details of the ceremony?_

Gintoki quickly turned back to face Kami. _That grin is way too familiar. I've seen it somewhere in the past. I know I have. I must have met this guy sometime before. Ugh, why can't I remember when!?_

"Well then," said Kami, starting to stand up. "It looks like we're basically done here. Tsukuyo, Gintoki, thank you both for coming here tonight and helping out with the planning. I truly appreciate it."

"Of course, Kami-sama," said Tsukuyo, also standing up. "It was no trouble at all. Plus, I'm really looking forward to this celebration now. I can hardly wait."

"I hope you'll be satisfied," said Kami with a smile. He then paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, I won't keep you two here any longer. Edward, could you please show our guests the way out?" he asked politely.

"Of course," said Edward, slowly standing up. He quickly slipped his pocketbook back into his robes before he started walking to the door. "Right this way," he said.

Tsukuyo started to follow him but soon stopped. She quietly turned back around. "Gintoki?" she called. "Are you coming?"

Gintoki was still sitting in his seat, completely lost in thought as he stared at Kami. He was still trying to figure out when he might have met the man before. For some reason, he just couldn't quite remember.

Tsukuyo just gave him a look of confusion. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing. "Gintoki," she called again, this time a little louder.

This time, Gintoki snapped out of his thoughts and looked around. "Huh?" he said.

"We're leaving, are you coming?" asked Tsukuyo, looking a little worried.

Gintoki just stared at her for a second as he started to realize what was going on. "Oh, uh, yeah," he said quietly. He then turned to look back at the overlord one last time.

Surprisingly, Kami just stared right back at him with a soft smile. "Is something the matter, Gintoki?" he asked in a polite voice.

Gintoki just continued staring before finally looking away. "No, it's nothing," he said as he stood up. "We'll just be on our way."

Everyone stared at the samurai for a moment before Kami decided to speak up. "Very well then," he said, smiling even more. "I'll see you both again sometime! Goodbye!"

Tsukuyo quietly looked back and forth between Gintoki and Kami with a confused look on her face. Eventually, she simply shrugged as she followed Gintoki and Edward out of the room.

* * *

Before long, the couple found themselves back outside the palace. They were soon walking back the same way they had originally come. They were heading back to Tsukuyo's house.

As she walked, Tsukuyo quietly stared up at the sky. Clouds could be seen slowly rolling in over the city. "Hmm," she mumbled. "It's starting to get cloudy. I wonder if a storm is coming…"

Gintoki just ignored her as he stared at the ground. He was still thinking hard about Kami and why he had seemed so familiar to the samurai. He was hoping to remember any kind of contact he might have had with the man in the past. After all, he was almost certain he had seen him somewhere before.

_I know I've seen that look before, that gaze and that grin. I even had a weird feeling when I saw it. I felt kind of…frightened. That grin almost looked like it was evil. Knowing all of this just makes it seem even more familiar!_

Tsukuyo stopped looking at the sky as she turned to face Gintoki. She noticed his silent behavior and gave him a curious look. "Gintoki?" she called gently.

Gintoki heard her voice and quietly looked up at her.

"You've been acting kind of weird since we left the palace," said Tsukuyo, still staring. "Are you alright?"

Gintoki simply stared back for a second before looking away. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

"Are you sure? You've been pretty quiet tonight. Is there something bothering you?"

Gintoki gave a sigh. "No, everything's fine. There's nothing to worry about."

Tsukuyo continued staring as a frown came to her face. "You know that you can tell me anything, right? I'm willing to listen to whatever is on your mind," she said softly.

"Yeah, I know," said Gintoki, still looking away. "It's nothing, really. You don't have to worry about me."

Tsukuyo watched him for another moment before sighing. "Well, okay then. Just let me know if you change your mind."

Gintoki just gave her a nod before he went back to looking at the ground. _No, I can't tell Tsukuyo about any of this. Not yet, at least. I don't know how she would take it. I mean, I can't just tell her that I think I've met her beloved overlord before. Hell, I don't even know how I know the guy. I need to find some more information before I start suggesting anything…_

As they walked, Tsukuyo couldn't help but to continue staring at the samurai with a worried look. _It looks like he's deep in thought. Something is clearly bothering him. I tried to get him to talk about it, but he won't budge. He is determined to keep this a secret from me. Oh well, if he doesn't want to talk, I won't make him._

A little while later, the couple arrived at Tsukuyo's house. They quietly walked up to the front door where they both stopped and looked at each other.

"Thanks again for coming tonight," said Tsukuyo with a small smile.

"Of course," Gintoki replied.

"Tomorrow is February 14th," said Tsukuyo, her smile getting bigger. "That means it's Valentines Day."

Gintoki also gave a small smile upon hearing this. "That's right," he said.

"Did you still want to come over here and spend the evening together?"

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll try to remember to bring your gift along with me."

"I'll have something for you as well," she said, looking him in the eye.

The couple then shared a small kiss before pulling away. They stood in silence for a moment as Tsukuyo glanced at Gintoki. He looked like he was thinking about something again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, still looking a little worried. "You seem kind of distracted."

Gintoki quietly stood there for a second before replying. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine," he said, looking completely serious.

"Well, alright then," said Tsukuyo, still not entirely convinced. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Right, see you then," said Gintoki, giving her a small smile goodbye.

Tsukuyo stared at the samurai one last time before finally turning around and opening the front door. She then quietly entered her house before shutting the door behind her.

Once Gintoki was sure that Tsukuyo was safely inside, he slowly walked away until he stood in the middle of the street. He then turned so that he was directly facing the palace off in the distance. Now that it was night, the entire building was lit up and casted a soft glow on the city below it.

_Something is definitely suspicious about that Kami guy _thought Gintoki as he looked at the palace._ I need to find out more about him. I need to go back to the palace…and see what I can learn…_

Without another thought, Gintoki then started walking back in the same direction that he had just come from. He was now heading straight for the palace…

* * *

**And that's it! That's the end of Chapter 6! It looks like things are really moving forward now! Also, I'm sorry this chapter came out a little bit later than usual. I was experiencing some writer's block again -.-'**

**But enough about that, I have something to give out! That's right, I have free gifts! For those of you who enjoy using the website Crunchyroll for streaming anime, I have some guest passes! Yay!**

**I have two of them and they provide all the benefits of a premium membership for 48 hours after redemption. That means no ads, high quality, and watching new episodes the same week they come out! Yay!**

**Well…I guess the prizes aren't really **_**that**_** special XD But hey, I figured I might as well offer them to my loyal readers if they want them. Like I said, I currently have two guest passes to give away, and I think I'm getting another one soon. If any of you are interested in receiving one, just let me know in a review or send me a message (by the way, make sure that I can message you back). It will be first come, first serve. And if nobody wants them, I'll probably just post them in the comments on a random Gintama episode XD**

**But yeah, if you like Crunchyroll and would like a free guest pass, let me know! I'll try my best to help ;) Anyways, please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter and please look forward to the next one! See you then!**


	21. Book 2 - Chapter 7

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 7

Gintoki silently stood at an empty street corner within Yoshiwara. He simply stared up at the nearby palace, not making a sound. It was clear that he was deep in thought.

_If I want to find out more about Kami, I'm going to have to go in there and take a look around. I'm sure I'll be able to find some kind of information about him in there. At the very least, I hope I can learn something about why he seems so familiar to me._

Gintoki paused as he continued staring at the palace. _Now here's the question, how the hell do I get inside? I doubt the guards will let me in. After all, I'm trying to investigate their overlord. Making an appearance now would simply be too suspicious on my part._

_In that case…I'm just going to have to sneak inside and see what I can learn about Kami without letting anyone else find me. That's the only way I'll be able to investigate this guy. I'm going to have to be crafty on this one…_

Upon making his decision, Gintoki immediately started approaching the palace that stood right in front of him. He quietly advanced through the shadows of the night, doing his best not to be seen. As he started to near the palace, he diverted his path so that he was now heading for a line of bushes that sat a short ways away from the building. The bushes actually surrounded the palace and were mostly there to help improve the building's outside image.

_That would be the perfect place to hide right now _thought Gintoki as he neared the bushes._ They're large enough for me to hide behind and I could probably even hide inside of them if I wanted to. They are also close enough to the palace for me to use them as an observation point while still being far enough away to avoid detection. Plus, the darkness brought on by the night will also help me stay hidden. I just need to stay out of the light coming from the palace._

Gintoki soon secured a place behind one of the shrubs. He sat there for a moment as he caught his breath. He then looked around to make sure that no one had seen him.

Once he was satisfied, he quietly took a peek around the hedge. In the light of the palace, he was able to see quite a few guards standing on duty both inside and outside the building.

_Hmm…I'm going to have to be careful about this…_

Gintoki suddenly heard a noise come from somewhere nearby. He immediately froze as his ears perked up. He soon heard the noise again. It sounded like one of the bushes was being rustled by something.

Gintoki crouched down as he looked from side to side. _Is someone else here too? _he wondered. _Is someone else hiding in the bushes? Or have the guards already found me and now they're sneaking up on me? _

Gintoki paused as he heard the rustling once more. _Either way, whatever is making that noise is definitely close to me…I need to find out exactly where it's coming from…_

Gintoki quietly started sneaking off in the direction of the noise while still staying low. He was going to try and find whatever was making that noise before it found him.

Eventually, Gintoki was able to make out a bush that had two shadows crouching behind it. He soon crouched down himself as he attempted to observe the two of them. He was able to notice that one of the shadows was quite larger than the other and that they were both quietly watching the palace. The bush in front of them softly rustled each time they moved its branches in order to see around it. Gintoki also noticed that while he was easily able to observe them, their position would be completely hidden to those within the palace.

_I don't understand. Someone else is sneaking around the palace too? Why? Who are they?_

Gintoki suddenly paused as he realized something. _Maybe they know something about Kami…this could be a golden opportunity…_

Gintoki quickly decided on his next course of action. _I should sneak up on them and quietly give them a surprise attack. I'll just hold them down and then politely ask them for everything they know about Kami. Hopefully they'll have some helpful information for me. After that, I'll let them be on their way, no harm done._

Gintoki immediately went to work without another thought. He started slowly approaching the two shadows from behind without letting them know of his presence. _Pfft _he thought. _These guys can't even hear me approaching over the sound of their stupid bush rustling. They must be real amateurs._

Gintoki stopped once he was right behind them. Once he was sure that they were still oblivious to his company, he swiftly grabbed the both of them from the back. He then used all of his strength to quickly lift them off the ground and force them back down. Surprisingly, they both stayed silent as they landed on their stomachs.

Gintoki stood overtop of them as he held each shadow to the ground with one arm. "All right," he whispered quietly, "be still and be silent. I have a couple of questions I want to ask the two of you."

To Gintoki's surprise, the smaller shadow slowly turned his head towards him. He then stared at him for a second before quietly speaking up. "Gintoki?" he asked. "Is…is that you?"

Gintoki's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the two shadows he was holding down with his hands. "What the hell?" he almost yelled. "Zura!?"

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," replied the smaller shadow.

Upon closer inspection, Gintoki discovered that the shadow was indeed his old friend, Katsura. He then turned towards the larger shadow, which he was still holding to the ground. "So if this is Zura, then the other one must be…"

"It's Elizabeth," said Katsura.

Upon hearing this, Gintoki immediately recognized the strange bird-like creature. The darkness had managed to hide him well, but when Gintoki looked close, he realized that the larger shadow truly was Elizabeth.

As he lay on the ground, Elizabeth also turned his head to face Gintoki before lifting up a sign. 'Hello,' it said.

Gintoki could hardly believe what he was seeing. "I don't understand," he said, looking back and forth between the both of them. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"We'll tell you all that in just a second," said Katsura, looking up at the samurai. "But could you let us go first?"

"Oh, right," said Gintoki, releasing his grip on the both of them.

Katsura and Elizabeth slowly rose to their feet. They then started brushing themselves off as they glared at the silver-haired samurai.

"Before we answer any questions, would you care to tell us what that attack was all about?" asked Katsura with a frown.

"Sorry about that," said Gintoki, staring at the rebel. "I kind of attacked without thinking. In all of this darkness, I didn't realize that it was actually Zura and the bird sitting right in front of me."

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," he repeated, rubbing the back of his neck. "And did you have to be so rough on us?"

"Oh, come on," said Gintoki. "It couldn't have been that bad. You look like you're still in one piece."

"It's not One Piece, it's Gintama," said Katsura with a straight face.

"If you feel good enough to make stupid jokes like that, then you must be fine," said Gintoki, clearly not amused. "Besides, you've been through worse than that before."

"Even so," said Katsura, "how the hell did you not recognize us? I mean, how clueless do you have to be? You should have easily been able to spot Elizabeth!"

"Hey, it was dark and I acted rashly! Give me a break!" Gintoki shouted.

Katsura turned away from the man as he crossed his arms. "Hmph, it figures you would do something reckless like that. You would make a poor spy with that mindset."

Gintoki clenched his fists as he started getting angry. "Well at least I didn't make a bunch of noise by rustling around in the bushes! Honestly, I could hear you from a mile away! If anyone here is a poor spy, it's you!"

"Don't start lecturing me on the ways of espionage!"

"I'll do whatever the hell I want!"

Suddenly, Elizabeth jumped in between the two of them and gave them each a light wack on the head. He then pulled out a sigh which read, 'Shut up before the guards hear you two shouting!'

Katsura stared at the sign as he put a hand to his new bruise. "You're right, we need to stay quiet," he whispered.

"I already knew that!" Gintoki whispered back. He then took a deep breath in order to calm down. "Now tell me, what the hell are you guys doing here in Yoshiwara?"

Katsura simply crossed his arms as he closed his eyes. "Well, you've probably already guessed it, but Elizabeth and I are here on surveillance duty."

Gintoki gave him a look of curiosity. "What for?"

Katsura opened his eyes and stared straight at Gintoki. "It's about that new overlord that arrived here a few weeks ago, the one who calls himself 'Kami'."

"You're spying on Kami?" asked Gintoki, listening carefully.

"Exactly. Normally, I don't bother dealing in the matters of Yoshiwara, but things are different this time. We've received some suspicious information about that overlord that concerns us. It might even concern you too."

Gintoki started to look worried. He didn't like what he was hearing. "What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"A few weeks ago, this Kami guy arrived here on Earth by traveling on a private spaceship. Apparently, he had been living out in space before he decided to come be Yoshiwara's new overlord. Later on, some of my scouts decided to take the opportunity to observe his ship…"

Gintoki stared at Katsura, waiting for him to continue. "And…?" he asked.

Katsura closed his eyes for a moment before staring back at Gintoki. "They discovered something rather alarming about that spaceship. Apparently, the ship that Kami arrived here on belongs to the Kiheitai."

Gintoki's mouth fell open out of surprise. "The Kiheitai?" he repeated. "You mean Takasugi's extremist group?"

"The very same," replied Katsura, looking serious. "My scouts were able to confirm that the ship does indeed belong to their group. From this information, I can only decipher one thing about this new overlord: _he has ties with them_."

Gintoki just stayed silent as he tried to take everything in. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"My group has been suspicious of him ever since," said Katsura, looking up at the palace. "We decided that we need to keep an eye on him and see what we can learn. Elizabeth and I came here tonight to do just that."

Gintoki put his hands to his head as he stared at the ground. He was starting to look worried about the whole situation. "This can't be good," he said quietly.

Katsura gave the man a look of confusion. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's not just you. The truth is…I've been suspicious of him too."

"You have?" asked Katsura.

"Yes. He seems really nice on the outside, but I can't help but feel like he's hiding something on the inside. And after hearing everything you just said, it kind of makes sense."

"Wait, you've actually met the overlord before?" asked Katsura, looking surprised.

"Yeah, Tsukuyo introduced us," Gintoki explained as he looked up. "She really seems to like the guy, but I just have a bad feeling about him."

"I see," said Katsura, quietly staring at the palace. "Well, if he really is working with the Kiheitai, then all of your suspicions are justified. Anyone who associates with that dangerous group is usually dangerous themselves."

Katsura then turned back to Gintoki with a look of curiosity. "By the way," he said, "you never did tell us why _you _were here in Yoshiwara."

"Huh?" said Gintoki, looking confused. "I'm here for the same reason as you. I came to spy on the overlord."

"Oh really?" asked Katsura, a smile coming to his face. "Was that the only reason you came to Yoshiwara? Are you sure you didn't come to see Tsukuyo while you were here?"

Gintoki paused as he felt himself lightly blushing. "So what if I did?" he asked defensively.

"Aw, now that's sweet," said Katsura, starting to taunt Gintoki with his smile. "It's nice to see you want to spend time with your girlfriend."

Gintoki simply looked at him out of annoyance. "Are…are you making fun of me?" he asked.

"Of course not," said Katsura, trying to hold back his laughter. "You're just so cute when you're _in love_."

"Oh, shut the hell up!" said Gintoki, getting upset. "It's not like I'm the only one who's guilty here! I've heard that you've been hanging around Ikumatsu's place a lot lately!"

Upon hearing this, Katsura suddenly froze. "I…I don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly.

"Don't lie! You've been going to see her more often because you like her, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he repeated.

"I'm right, aren't I? You're in love too!"

Elizabeth suddenly stepped in between the two samurai again in order to stop their arguing. He then held up a sign which read, 'Alright, that's enough. Let's get back to business already.'

Katsura looked at the sign before clearing his throat. "Er, right, let's shift our attention back to the overlord."

"Fine," said Gintoki, staring up at the palace again. "I was actually planning on sneaking in there and seeing what I could find out. What do you think?"

"Hmm," mumbled Katsura as he considered the option. He then gave a sigh before also staring at the palace. "I guess we might as well. We'll definitely learn a lot more in there then we will out here."

Gintoki turned back to face him. "So you're with me then?"

"Yes, let's go in," he replied.

"Great," said Gintoki, happy that he would have some allies coming with him. "So what's the plan?"

"I guess we'll try and sneak in when the guards aren't looking. After that, we'll do a light search throughout the palace to see what we can find. If possible, I think the best place to check would be the overlord's bedroom."

"Sounds good," said Gintoki, giving a nod.

"Also, we shouldn't stay too long; we don't want to risk being caught."

"Let's try and be out within an hour. That should be plenty of time."

"Agreed."

"Alright then," said Gintoki, looking determined. "Let's go in and see what we can find."

"Hold on, Gintoki," said Katsura, putting a hand on the samurai's shoulder. "Where is your weapon?"

Gintoki silently stared at him before looking down at his waist. The wooden sword that he usually carried with him was not there. "I didn't bring it to Yoshiwara with me," he answered. "I didn't think I would need it tonight."

In response, Katsura just put a hand to his face. "It figures you would be so unprepared for this mission. Well, we can't just let you go in there defenseless. Elizabeth, give him a sword."

Gintoki turned to see the large bird face the sky as he opened his mouth. He then reached an arm down into his throat before slowly pulling something out. He then held the weapon out for Gintoki to take.

Gintoki simply stared at it for a moment before grabbing it. It was a real metal sword, quietly resting in its black sheath. The hilt of the sword was also black and had a tiny diamond-shaped pattern going across it. Gintoki partially drew the sword out of its sheath in order to admire it. He soon found his own reflection staring back from the blade.

He then looked over to Katsura. "Do I really need this?" he asked.

"If things go bad, you're going to need to defend yourself. Trust me, you're going to feel better having that sword at your side."

Gintoki stared at his own reflection once more. "Hmph, if you say so…"

* * *

A short while later, Gintoki, Katsura, and Elizabeth had all safely made it into the palace. They were currently crouching down in an empty room on the second floor. They had just managed to enter in through an open window without attracting the guards' attention.

Katsura quietly turned to face Gintoki. "I don't suppose you know where his bedroom is, do you?" he whispered.

In response, Gintoki just shook his head. "I've only been in here a couple of times; I'm not really that familiar with the place."

"Well, I can't really blame you. This palace is rather large."

"So what's the plan then?"

"We're just going to have to take a look around and see what we can find. If we're lucky, we'll stumble across his room by chance."

"Fine," said Gintoki, slowly standing up.

Katsura also stood up and walked over to the door. He slowly cracked it open and took a peak outside before shutting it again. "The hall is empty," he said, looking back at his two comrades. "Alright, let's be quick and be silent. Stick together. And if somebody happens to find us, get out."

Katsura then put a hand on the sword at his waist. "Are we ready?" he asked.

'Ready!' said Elizabeth.

Gintoki also laid a hand on his own sword before looking up. "Let's go," he said.

"Alright," said Katsura, cracking open the door again. "Follow me, and stay safe."

Katsura then opened the door up all the way before quickly moving into the hall. Gintoki and Elizabeth silently followed behind him. Once they arrived at the end of the hall, Katsura peeked around the corner to make sure it was safe. They then quietly went on their way.

From time to time, the group would stop and check some of the nearby rooms. Unfortunately, most of the rooms they looked in were either empty or used for storage. After making sure that there was nothing of importance within each room, they would then move on. This process continued as the group made their way deeper and deeper into the palace. No matter where they checked, they were still having a hard time finding anything useful in their search.

Eventually, the group came to stop in front of a fairly large door. The three of them stared at it silence for a moment.

"What do you suppose is in there?" asked Gintoki, looking curious.

"I don't know, but it might be worth checking out," said Katsura, slowly walking up and putting his ear to the door. "It sounds quiet, I think it's empty."

"Let's go in," said Gintoki, grabbing the door handle.

"Wait a minute," said Katsura suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

Gintoki paused as he listened. He could hear footsteps and voices coming from the hallway opposite to them.

Elizabeth quickly lifted up a sign. 'Someone's coming!' it said.

"Shit," said Gintoki under his breath. "We have to go!"

"Wait!" whispered Katsura, pointing to the other hall that they had just come from. "We can't go back; someone is coming from that way too!"

Sure enough, more footsteps and voices could be heard from the hallway behind them. It looked like the group was officially cornered.

"Damn it," said Gintoki, looking back at the door in front of him. "I guess we have no choice! Quickly, get in here!"

Gintoki slid the door open and all three of them jumped in without a second thought. Once they were inside, Gintoki quietly closed the door behind them. They then paused for a moment to make sure that they were safe.

After about a minute, Gintoki put his ear to the door. "I don't hear anything," he said. "I think they're gone."

He then stood up and glanced at the room in front of him. Everything was dark and it was hard to see. The only thing that he could make out was that this room was larger than the other ones he had seen before.

"Where are we, anyway?" he asked as looked through the darkness.

"I'm not sure," said Katsura, also looking around. "Let me see if I can find the lights."

He fumbled around the wall for a little bit until he found what he was looking for. He quietly flicked all of the lights on with a switch. Everything in the room instantly became visible.

The room itself was actually larger than anticipated, being about as wide as a small field. The ceiling extended high above them, surprisingly opening the room up to reveal several different floors surrounding them. Basically, each new floor consisted of an enclosing balcony that looked down on the floor below it. The levels were stacked like this all the way from the bottom floor up to the ceiling. The main floor was mostly empty, except for the room's most notable feature: a large majestic-looking statue of a rabbit.

Gintoki immediately recognized the place as he looked around. "Hey, I've been here before," he said as he walked farther into the room. "This is where I fought with Hosen."

As he continued to look around, he confirmed it was indeed the same place as before. The only difference was that all of the damage caused by that fight had apparently been repaired. The room looked practically new.

"It is a rather beautiful room," said Katsura as he walked in. "I wonder what it's used for?"

'Maybe it's some kind of recreation room,' said Elizabeth.

"Who knows?" said Gintoki, staring up at the rabbit statue.

Suddenly, Gintoki started getting a weird feeling. He immediately looked around the room. _Something's wrong _he thought.

"Well, well, well," said an unknown voice from across the room. "It seems we have some unexpected guests in here."

"Shit! They've found us!" Gintoki cried, turning to face his comrades. "We need to go!"

Katsura and Elizabeth quickly realized what was going on. All three of them instantly started running for the door. It was their best hope for an escape.

However, their hopes were soon dashed as the door burst open and several guards began filing into the room. The three intruders quickly stopped in their tracks.

"We need to find another way!" yelled Katsura, turning around.

Gintoki and Elizabeth also turned around; they were about to start running for another exit. However, before they could even take another step, three new guards suddenly dropped right on top of the group. Each of them swiftly grabbed one of the intruders and held them in a tight embrace. They were now caught.

Gintoki looked back at his captor as he struggled to break free. _They were hiding on the ceiling!?_

Gintoki kept struggling against the guard that held him, but it was no use. His arms were pinned down to his side and his feet were lifted off the ground. He desperately tried to reach for the sword at his waist, but it was just out of his grasp.

_Rrrgg, I can't break free! Just how strong are these guards?_

Almost as if he had heard Gintoki's thoughts, the guard responded. "Stop struggling," he commanded. "You're not getting away."

Gintoki stopped for a moment in order to take in the situation. Sure enough, any hope of escape was starting to look grim. Katsura and Elizabeth were held firmly by the other two guards in the same position that he was in. Meanwhile, the guards that had been entering from the hallway were now circling the group. Their only chance for an escape had all but disappeared.

As Gintoki watched, he silently cursed himself. _They were waiting for us _he realized. _They knew we were here and they actually lured us into this room in order to capture us. We played right into their trap like complete fools…_

"Alright, alright, that's enough," said the unknown voice from before. "You can all disperse, I'll take it from here."

As if on cue, the guards that encircled the group immediately scattered. Some of them left the room while others simply got out of the way. Unfortunately, the three guards that held the intruders stayed put.

It was then that the owner of the unknown voice appeared. He slowly walked up to his new prisoners, his green eyes glowing as a smile came to his face.

"Gintoki!" he said. "What a pleasant surprise!"

In response, Gintoki just glared at the man. "Kami…" he said quietly.

At the mention of the overlord's name, Katsura and Elizabeth stopped moving. They were now silently watching this new encounter unfold in front of them.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon!" said the overlord, still smiling. "And look, you even brought some friends with you!"

Gintoki just clenched his teeth as he continued to glare. _He's taunting me…_

"Oh, come now, my lord," said a new voice from across the room. "Don't act so astonished. We knew that they were here the moment they entered the building."

Before long, the owner of the new voice then gave a smile as he walked over to Kami. It was revealed to be none other than the overlord's assistant, Edward.

"Still," said Kami, looking up at Gintoki, "I was rather shocked to learn that you guys came in all by yourselves." He then gave the samurai a look of curiosity. "Tell me, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Cut the crap," said Gintoki, looking angry. "I know that you're not who you appear to be. I came here to find out what you're hiding."

Kami looked a little surprised to hear this. "You mean you don't know?" he asked. "I thought you might have recognized me earlier, but I must have been wrong. Oh well, I guess I can't blame you for not figuring it out."

Gintoki clenched his teeth once more as he stared at the man. "So then we have met before? I knew you seemed familiar!"

Kami just laughed as he listened to the samurai. He then started walking towards Gintoki before stopping a short distance away.

"It's funny," he said with a smile. "Tonight, you came here looking for me, when the last time we met…"

Kami then paused as he slowly removed his glasses. He then stared at Gintoki with his bare green eyes.

"…I said I would come looking for you…"

Gintoki suddenly froze as he stared at the overlord. "I know…" he said quietly. "I know who you are!"

It had finally clicked. He now recognized the man.

"I remember you! You're…"

…!

* * *

**And that's the end of the chapter! That's right, I ended it right there! I'm such an evil writer! I'll bet you guys really wanted to find out who Kami is, but too bad! You're going to have to wait! I'm such an evil asshole!**

**Anyways, I really do apologize for ending it on such a suspenseful note XD I hope you won't be too angry with me. Besides, I think some of you already have an idea of who Kami is anyway…**

**Attention! I have some news for the next chapter of this story! It's kind of important, so listen up! In the next chapter, the story will be jumping ahead. Let me repeat, in the next chapter, the story will be **_**jumping forward in time**_**.**

**What does that mean? It means I won't be picking up where I left off. The story will actually be moving ahead to the next day. That also means that you won't be finding out about Kami next chapter either (I'm so sorry!) Rest assured, there will eventually be a flashback, so you will get all of your answers in time.**

**But yeah, I think the next chapter will be kind of…**_**unexpected**_**. Please just trust me when I say that I know what I'm doing XD I'll do my best to make it good!**

**That's all for now! Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one! Goodbye!**


	22. Book 2 - Chapter 8

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 8

_The next day…_

The date was February 14th. Valentines Day had finally arrived.

Tsukuyo quietly smiled to herself as she walked around her living room. She was currently in the middle of preparing the room for the night ahead of her. After all, it would not be long before Gintoki would arrive and the two of them would get to spend the evening together.

As Tsukuyo walked around, she made sure that everything within the room was looking neat and orderly. She had remembered to set her gift for Gintoki off to the side for later. She had also remembered to place some food and drinks on the living room table for the two of them to enjoy together.

Once she was satisfied with her work, Tsukuyo took a moment to look out the window. Unfortunately, the sky was already dark and was completely covered by gray clouds. Rain was heavily pouring down on the city without relent. From time to time, the sky would be lit up with a small bolt of lighting. It looked like a bad storm was currently passing through.

Tsukuyo simply stayed silent as she watched the downpour. _What awful weather_ she thought._ I hope Gintoki will be all right on his way here. I'd hate for him to get badly caught up in this storm._

Tsukuyo then turned around to face the room again. _Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. We're just going to stay inside the whole time anyway. Hinowa and Seita are gone, so it looks like Gintoki and I will have the whole place to ourselves…and it looks like I'll have Gintoki all to myself… _

She then glanced at the nearby clock before giving a smile. _It shouldn't be too much longer before he gets here. I hope he shows up soon before the storm gets any worse. You definitely don't want to be out in that weather for long._

Tsukuyo walked over to where Gintoki's gift was sitting before gently picking it up. It was the small box of chocolates that she had previously promised to give to him. She then stared at the box as she wondered about his gift for her.

_I wonder what I'm supposed to be getting tonight. Gintoki promised that he would get me something good. Hmm…knowing him, it could be anything. I guess I'll just have to wait and see…_

Tsukuyo quietly set the box back off to the side as she took a seat on the couch. She decided she was going to wait patiently for Gintoki's arrival.

As she sat there, she quietly smiled to herself. _It's finally Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year. And I'm going to spend it with the man I love. This is perfect. I'm so excited; I hope we have a wonderful time tonight…_

After waiting for a short while, the sound of knocking could be heard coming from the front door. As soon as she heard it, Tsukuyo immediately stood up and went to go answer it.

_He's here _she thought with a smile.

She quickly made her way to the front room before arriving at the door. She then opened it without a second thought.

As expected, Gintoki was the one waiting outside the door. He was holding a small umbrella over his head, doing his best to keep out of the rain. He silently stared at Tsukuyo with a blank expression on his face.

"Ah, Gintoki, you're here," said Tsukuyo, giving him a smile.

As Gintoki stared, he strangely hesitated before he answered. "…Hello Tsukuyo," he replied quietly.

"I'm glad you made it," said Tsukuyo as she stood off to the side. "Hurry up and come in. Let's get you out of this rain."

"Thanks," said Gintoki, slowly walking into the house. He calmly folded his umbrella before leaning it against the wall.

"I hope you didn't get caught up in the storm too badly. Were you able to make it here ok?" asked Tsukuyo as she closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, it was fine," he replied. He then slowly reached down for something that sat at his waist.

Tsukuyo's eyes widened once she saw what it was. She then gave Gintoki a look of curiosity. "What's up with that sword?" she asked.

Gintoki stared at her for a second before looking down at the black sword. "Zura gave it to me," he said bluntly.

"Are you holding on to it for him?" asked Tsukuyo, a little confused.

"Yeah, something like that…" said Gintoki, still staring at the weapon. Before long, he silently removed it from his waist before laying it next to his umbrella.

"Um…ok?" said Tsukuyo, still not sure what was going on. She simply shrugged and decided to move on. "Well, now that you're here, do you want to go ahead and move into the living room?"

Gintoki stared at Tsukuyo with his blank expression again. "Sure," he said briefly.

Tsukuyo was now looking back at Gintoki with a concerned expression. She had started to notice something off about him. It seemed like he was giving all of his answers in an emotionless tone.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" she asked him with a serious expression.

"I feel fine," he replied flatly.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been better…"

Tsukuyo gave him a frown as she continued looking at him. She could obviously tell that something was wrong. "Well…alright then. Let's just go ahead and move to the living room."

Gintoki simply remained silent as he started walking off. Tsukuyo continued to frown at him as she followed.

_What's up with him? _she wondered. _He's acting kind of weird. He's being quiet and he almost seems like he doesn't even care about tonight. Is he in a bad mood or something?_

Tsukuyo just gave a sigh as the two of them arrived in the living room. _Maybe I can try and lighten him up a little._

"Please, have a seat," she told him, gesturing to the couch.

"Ok," he replied. He then sat down on the couch before silently staring at the floor.

Tsukuyo soon took a seat next to him and gave him a smile. She then gently grabbed his hand and held it with her own. "I'm happy that you're here tonight," she said softly.

In response, Gintoki simply stared up at her. His facial expression looked completely uninterested. At this point, his eyes were truly starting to resemble those of a dead fish.

Tsukuyo quietly stared back, starting to become even more concerned. _Seriously, what's going on with him? Why is he acting this way? Doesn't he want to be here tonight? I mean, right now, he honestly looks like he couldn't care less about me…_

Tsukuyo glanced over to the window for a moment as she watched the rain. _Now that I think about it, he was acting kind of weird yesterday too. After we left the palace, he hardly said a word as he walked me home. He definitely wasn't acting like his usual self…but even then, that was different from now. Yesterday, he kind of seemed like he was deep in thought. Now, he just looks like he doesn't care at all._

Tsukuyo looked at Gintoki once more to see him staring at the floor again. _Damn it, why won't he just cheer up already? I tried getting close to him, but he basically just brushed me away. Hmph, I guess I'll just have to use something that I know will get him in a good mood…something that works every time…_

"Gintoki," Tsukuyo softly called to him. "I have something for you."

Once again, he silently stared up at her. He almost looked like he was hardly paying attention. He only seemed to notice Tsukuyo whenever she called out to him.

Tsukuyo simply ignored this as she reached over and grabbed the box of chocolates that sat beside her. _If this doesn't cheer him up, I don't know what will._

Tsukuyo then held the box out for Gintoki to take. "Here," she said, giving a small smile. "I knew you wanted something like this. Happy Valentines Day."

Gintoki took the box without saying a word. He then stared at it with the same uninterested eyes. He didn't even show a single sign of happiness or thankfulness. He just continued to stare at the box with a small frown on his face.

Tsukuyo watched him for a minute, waiting for him to start getting excited. However, it never came. Even though he was holding one of his favorite treats, he was still acting kind of despondent. The current situation had not changed.

Tsukuyo finally decided to give the man a deadly glare. She was becoming very frustrated with him and she could hardly take another second of it.

"Alright Gintoki," she said, sounding angry. "What the hell is up with you tonight? You've hardly even spoken or looked at me! You're acting like you don't even want to be here right now!"

Gintoki silently looked up at her for a moment before looking back at his box of chocolates. He then set the box down on the table in front of him.

"Tsukuyo…there's something I need to tell you," he said quietly.

Tsukuyo simply sighed as she dropped her glare. She decided that she was going to be patient and listen to what he had to say. "You can tell me anything, Gintoki."

Gintoki continued to stare at the table in front of him. "It's not going to be easy to tell you this…but I really need to let you know."

Tsukuyo gave him a look of curiosity. "What is it?" she asked gently.

"Tsukuyo, I'm…I'm not sure if I really care about you anymore…"

Tsukuyo went completely silent upon hearing this. She was almost unsure if she had just heard him right. "W-what?" she managed to choke out.

"I'm not sure if I care about you anymore…" he repeated.

Tsukuyo gave him a look of complete confusion. She had no idea what he was trying to tell her. She was almost starting to wonder if he was joking or something.

After a few seconds of silence, Gintoki finally looked up at her, his face looking completely serious. "If I'm being honest, I don't really feel like our relationship is going anywhere…"

Tsukuyo was now starting to get worried. "What are you talking about?" she asked in an anxious tone.

Gintoki paused before he chose his next words. "I…I don't think our relationship really means anything…I mean, it's not like we were ever going to be anything more than a dating couple…we were basically just doing this for fun…"

Tsukuyo stared at Gintoki in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _We weren't going anywhere? We were just dating for fun? Is that what he thinks about us?_

Gintoki slowly turned away from her before looking out the window. "I think the only reason I even wanted to date you in the first place was so that I could get some sexual relief…and it was fun and all…but I've had my fill and I think I'm done now…"

As Tsukuyo listened, she could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. "I…I don't understand…" she said quietly.

Gintoki turned to look at her again. "Look, what I'm basically trying to say is that I'm tired of all of this," he said with a serious tone.

He then paused before giving a sigh. "Let's just end it already."

Tsukuyo simply froze as she listened. _E-End it?_

Her heart was beating fast. She could now feel the tears running freely down her cheeks. She was finally starting to realize what he was telling her. She didn't want to believe it, and she was scared to find out if she was right. Even so, she managed to choke the words out.

"G-Gintoki…are you…breaking up with me?"

Gintoki paused as he looked out the window once more. He watched the rain for a few seconds before finally giving a response.

"…Yes, I am…"

At that point, time seemed to stop. Tsukuyo could not move. She could only stare straight in front of her. She did not understand. She felt frightened. She could feel her tears starting to drip onto her lap. She couldn't help but keep asking herself the same question over and over again.

_Why?_

_Why is Gintoki acting this way? Why is he saying these things? This isn't like him. None of this makes any sense._

"Gintoki?" she whispered quietly.

Gintoki suddenly stood up without looking at her. "Our relationship is officially over," he declared adamantly.

Tsukuyo simply sat there and listened to his words. She couldn't even look up at him. Her heart was starting to hurt. She was suffering.

Gintoki stood there for another moment before finally turning away. "I'll just be on my way then. See you around…"

And with that, Gintoki started making his way out of the room. His box of chocolates was still sitting on the table. He had not even bothered to pick them up. He didn't look back and he didn't say a word. He just kept on walking.

Tsukuyo eventually managed to look up and realize that the samurai was leaving. She silently stared at his back, the tears still rolling down her face.

_No…don't go…_

Her boyfriend was leaving.

_Please come back…_

The man she loved most was walking away.

_Don't leave me…_

He was saying goodbye for good…

Tsukuyo suddenly found herself standing up. She quickly followed the man into the front room. She couldn't bear to see him go. She was starting to get desperate.

Gintoki picked up his sword, and secured the weapon back on his waist.

"Gintoki, hold on!" she called after him. Tears were still coming out of her eyes.

He picked up his umbrella, and opened it.

Tsukuyo suddenly tripped and fell hard onto the floor. She quickly looked back up. "Gintoki! Don't do this!" she called again.

Gintoki approached the door before slowly opening it. The rain was still falling hard outside.

Tsukuyo desperately reached an arm out as she screamed to him.

"Gintoki, I love you!"

Gintoki unexpectedly paused as he stood in the doorway. He stared straight ahead, right out into the storm. He did not dare look back.

Tsukuyo paused before repeating it again. "I love you, Gintoki…"

He did not move. The rain kept on pouring.

Tsukuyo continued to sit on the floor as she desperately started revealing her true feelings for him.

"I love you…you're the only man I've ever loved…and I'm willing to love you forever…"

Gintoki continued standing in the doorway, completely silent.

"Please," she begged, tears still coming out. "Don't leave me."

Gintoki hesitated as he listened. He then slowly turned around to face her.

"Gintoki?" asked Tsukuyo, sounding hopeful.

Gintoki quietly stared at her with a frown. He then replied in the coldest tone possible.

"Get off the floor," he said, "you look _pathetic_."

Tsukuyo was completely speechless. She could feel her heart breaking on the inside. She could not stop the flow of tears. All of this was simply too much for her to handle.

Gintoki faced forward again. He was soon walking out the door.

"No, don't go!" Tsukuyo shouted after him. "Gintoki! GINTOKI!"

He silently shut the door behind him.

"GINTOOOKIIIIII!"

* * *

**…**

**Well…that was the chapter…um…I'm not quite sure what to say…it was definitely sad, wasn't it? Was it hard to read?**

**Anyways, please forgive me. I'm guessing that you are all very confused when it comes to this chapter. You might even be angry or upset. I'm sorry, I understand. I did say it would be unexpected, didn't I?**

**Well, you're probably all wondering why this happened in the story. And I, as the author, unfortunately cannot tell you anything about it. Not yet, at least. Why not? If I tell you anything, it will ruin the story. It must be frustrating not knowing anything. I'm sorry.**

**I'm hoping that all of you will remain calm upon reading this chapter. But even if you don't, it's ok! I'm going to help you through it! That's right, I'll help you calm down a little! (I hope!) **

**If you have questions, please leave them in a review! I'll do my best to answer without giving anything away! You can also leave complaints, rants, and any angry thoughts in a review too! I'll do my best to help you out! I probably won't be able to explain much, but maybe my words will make you guys feel better…or maybe not. Either way, I'll do my best.**

**Please, I once again just ask that you trust me. I know what I'm doing ;) The story will get better from here on out. I promise.**

**That's all for now. Please leave a review and I'll respond. See you later!**


	23. Book 2 - Chapter 9

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 9

It was quiet and it was dark. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the rain heavily pounding against the house. The storm appeared to be getting progressively worse as the night dragged on. A bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the sky, and for a brief moment, lit up the room too.

Tsukuyo was quietly lying on the futon mat that sat within her room. Her door was closed and the lights were off. As she listened, she could hear the sound of thunder that followed the lightning. She then curled up into a ball and softly continued crying.

After Gintoki had left, Tsukuyo had gone straight to bed. She had since changed into her usual sleeping outfit, her salmon-colored robe. She had also let her hair loose, and it was probably looking like a complete mess at the moment. She was unable to sleep. She had spent the whole time crying her eyes out.

Even now, Tsukuyo was unable to stop the tears. She was too upset to even think about it. Her heart had just been completely shattered by someone she loved.

Once again, she found herself asking the same question over and over:

_Why?_

_Why did Gintoki do this? Why did he say those things? Why did he break up with me?_

No matter how hard she tried, Tsukuyo could not answer any of these questions. She just didn't understand what had happened earlier between the two of them. It was all too confusing, depressing, and hurtful.

_It doesn't make any sense. Surely there is a reason for why he did this…?_

Tsukuyo closed her eyes, but the tears kept coming out. _Was it because of me? Did I do something wrong? What did I do to make him act like that? What did I do to deserve this?_

Tsukuyo paused as she thought back on all of the time the two of them had spent together as a couple. The pain in her heart soon started feeling worse.

_I…I thought we were happy together. Was it all just an illusion? Was I the only one who saw it that way? Was Gintoki actually unhappy being with me?_

_I…I thought he liked me…why did he say goodbye?_

She imagined him standing in the doorway, the rain pouring behind him. Once again, he coldly stared down at her.

"_Get off the floor, you look pathetic."_

Tsukuyo winced as lightning struck the city again. Thunder rumbled as the rain kept on pouring. She then shoved her face into her pillow before she started bawling.

_Gintoki…why?_

* * *

The storm continued all through the night. The sky remained dark the entire time, even when morning arrived. It was a rather unusual phenomenon. In fact, if one did not know better, they could have easily mistaken the time of day.

Tsukuyo was still laying on her futon, quietly sniffling. After spending the entire night crying, her eyes were finally dry of tears. They no longer had anything left to release. Nevertheless, she did not feel any better. She could still feel her heart aching on the inside. She quietly clutched at her chest.

_Gintoki…_

She had no desire to move. She just wanted to stay in her bed and forget everything that had happened that night. She wanted to fall asleep, but she couldn't. The pain was keeping her awake.

After a while, someone could be heard gently knocking on Tsukuyo's door. Apparently, someone was standing outside of it.

This sudden introduction of noise only seemed to upset Tsukuyo. She let out a small groan as she buried herself under the covers.

"Tsukuyo? Are you in there?" asked a soft voice from outside the door.

As Tsukuyo listened, she immediately recognized the voice as Hinowa's. "Go away," she moaned.

"Tsukuyo?" repeated Hinowa, starting to sound concerned. "What's going on? Are you okay in there?"

"Leave me alone," she begged, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Hinowa…" Tsukuyo whined. "Please just go away…"

Hinowa simply ignored her; she was too worried. "There's something wrong, isn't there?" she asked, sounding concerned. "What is it? What's bothering you?"

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth as she became still. She really didn't want to see anyone at that point in time. She just wanted to be left alone.

Hinowa was silent for a moment before she continued talking. "Tsukuyo," she begged, "please open this door and tell me what's wrong. I want to help you. I can't do that if you don't come out."

Tsukuyo held her head in her hands as she listened. She couldn't stand to hear Hinowa worry about her so much. It bothered her.

"Tsukuyo, _please_…"

Tsukuyo suddenly found herself slowly standing up. She couldn't take another second of this. She had decided that she was going to go and answer the door.

As she walked, she quietly wiped her eyes to make sure that they were clear of tears. She then gave a small sniffle. She didn't want to let Hinowa know that she had been crying. That information would only end up making her more worried.

Tsukuyo paused once she arrived in front of her door. She then slowly slid it open. The light from the hallway immediately poured into the dark room. Tsukuyo squinted as she looked out.

Hinowa was sitting right outside the door. She quietly stared up at Tsukuyo with a concerned look on her face. "Tsukuyo?" she asked gently.

Tsukuyo simply stared back. "Hinowa…" she said quietly.

As she stared, Tsukuyo suddenly felt her lips trembling. Then her eyes started to water. Seeing the concerned look on Hinowa's face was just too much for her. She couldn't take it any longer.

The next thing she knew, she had collapsed into Hinowa's lap. She pressed herself up against the courtesan as she started bawling her eyes out again. "H-Hinowa!" she cried.

Hinowa simply gave Tsukuyo a look of surprise as she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Hey, hey, what's the matter? What's going on?"

Tsukuyo tried to respond but she was unable to do so. She couldn't even get a single word out. The tears just kept on coming and she was actually starting to sob.

Hinowa continued staring at her for another moment before she decided to take on her motherly role. She pulled Tsukuyo in close and gently held her. She then placed one of her hands on the girl's head and started rubbing it back and forth. "Shhh, don't cry, Tsukuyo. It will be okay. Please, try to calm down. Tell me what's wrong."

Tsukuyo did as she was told and tried to take a deep breath. She then shoved her face into Hinowa's chest as she tried to tell her about everything that had happened the night before.

"G-G-Gindokey bro cup wif may!" she cried.

Hinowa just gave Tsukuyo a look of confusion before giving a sigh. "Tsukuyo, I can't understand a word you're saying. You need to try and calm down."

Tsukuyo tried to take another deep breath, but she just ended up sobbing again. "I-I can't!" she choked out.

Hinowa gave the girl a look of sympathy as she continued rubbing her head. She couldn't help but feel bad for her. She knew that something awful must have happened to her, as she had never seen Tsukuyo act like this before.

Hinowa continued to hold Tsukuyo for another minute before gently letting go of her. "Tsukuyo, let's go to the living room. We'll take a few minutes to make sure that you get calmed down and under control. After that, you can tell me what's wrong, ok?"

In response, Tsukuyo just managed to give a small nod…

* * *

A short while later, Tsukuyo was quietly sitting on a chair within the living room. She was no longer crying but she still had a sad look on her face. Her hair was kind of messy and her robe had tear spots scattered over it. She gave a quiet sniffle as she stared out the window.

The storm looked like it was finally starting to come to a close. The lightning and thunder had stopped and the rain wasn't falling as hard as it had been before. The sky, however, continued to remain dark behind the clouds.

As she watched, Tsukuyo suddenly noticed Hinowa wheeling herself in from the kitchen. There was a small tray in her lap, and on top of it sat a teapot with two small cups.

Tsukuyo simply watched as the courtesan parked adjacent to her. Hinowa silently lifted up the kettle and poured two glasses of tea. She then held one out for Tsukuyo to take.

"Here," she said with a smile, "this should help."

Tsukuyo stared at it for a moment before taking it. "Thanks…" she said. She continued to look at the cup before taking a small sip.

Hinowa set the tray off to the side as she picked up the other cup. She also took a small sip before staring at Tsukuyo. "Are you feeling better?" she asked gently.

Tsukuyo just gave a small nod. She was starting to feel calm once again.

"Great, now please tell me what has you so upset," said Hinowa, looking concerned again. "I've never seen you like this and it's making me worried."

Tsukuyo lowered her cup of tea into her lap as she stared at it. She simply stayed silent.

"Tsukuyo, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," said Hinowa with a sigh. "Please, tell me."

Tsukuyo looked up at her for a moment before looking back down. She then took a deep breath as she stared at her own blurry silhouette reflected on the surface the tea.

"Last night, Gintoki came over to spend Valentine's Day with me," she said quietly. "And then, out of nowhere, he…he…"

Hinowa gave her a look of curiosity. "Go on…" she encouraged her.

Tsukuyo gulped as she continued staring at the tea. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes again. "…he broke up with me…" she finished.

Hinowa's eyes immediately widened out of surprise. "He…he did what?"

"Gintoki broke up with me," she repeated weakly. Her tears were now slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"What, why?" asked Hinowa, looking very confused. "I mean, tell me about what happened last night. What exactly happened between you two?"

Tsukuyo continued to stare at her tea as she softly shook her head. "I don't know if I can…" she said. "It…it _hurts_…"

"Oh, Tsukuyo," said Hinowa, feeling bad for the girl. She gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you don't have to go through this alone. I'll be right here to help you through it."

Tsukuyo slowly turned to face her. "Y-You will?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course," said Hinowa with a sympathetic smile. "I promise to help you through this. Now please, tell me about everything that happened last night."

Tsukuyo quietly sniffled as she looked down at her tea again. "Well, okay…" she agreed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Hinowa had heard the whole story. Tsukuyo had told her about how Gintoki had been acting strangely just after he had arrived. She had told her about how Gintoki had said he didn't care about Tsukuyo anymore and that he was unhappy with their relationship. She had told her about how Gintoki had abruptly broken up with her before walking right out the door. It was all there. The story was now out in the open.

Once she was done, Tsukuyo quietly went back to staring at her tea. She had tried her best not to cry, but the tears just seemed to keep coming out. She couldn't help it.

Hinowa looked away as she tried to make sense of everything she had just heard. "I…I can't believe this…" she said quietly. "I mean, did Gin-san really say all that?"

Tsukuyo silently nodded.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Hinowa as she quietly thought to herself. "Something is strange about that story. I just can't imagine Gin-san acting like that, especially not in front of you."

Tsukuyo just kept quiet as she listened. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to be angry or upset with the samurai. She could only sit there and feel sorrow and remorse for herself.

_I hate this pain _she thought miserably. _All I want to do is be alone and cry, but that doesn't even help. It just keeps on hurting. Does it ever go away? I'm…I'm sick of this. I don't ever want to go through something like this again. It's just too much._

Tsukuyo suddenly tightened her hold on her cup. "I'm never falling in love again," she declared adamantly.

"Huh?" said Hinowa, glancing over to her.

"I'm never falling in love again," she repeated.

Hinowa gave her a look of concern. "What, why?"

"I decided to trust one man, and I ended up getting hurt. I don't ever want to go through something like this again. The suffering is just too much for me to handle. I'm never falling in love again."

Hinowa could only give a sigh as she listened. "Oh, Tsukuyo, please don't say things like that. You can find happiness through love again someday."

"No, I'm done with that. I just want to be alone from now on," said Tsukuyo stubbornly.

Hinowa was about to give a retort when the sound of knocking suddenly interrupted her. She immediately turned to the source of the noise. Apparently, somebody was standing outside the front door.

"Oh, someone's here," Hinowa noted. She then turned to Tsukuyo. "Stay here, I'll go ahead and get it."

"Alright," Tsukuyo replied dismally.

Hinowa gave her another look of concern before wheeling herself out to the front. She stopped in front of the door before slowly opening it. "Hello?" she asked gently. She then gave a look of surprise as soon as she saw who it was.

"Shinpachi? Kagura?"

It was true. The two younger Odd Jobs members were currently waiting outside the front door of her house. They were both standing underneath Kagura's umbrella in order to stay out of the rain.

"Ah, hello, Hinowa-san," greeted Shinpachi with a small wave. "It's a pleasure to see you."

"What's up?" asked Kagura casually.

Hinowa had not been expecting the two of them to show up, especially not now of all times. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, well, sorry to be dropping in like this," said Shinpachi respectfully. "We were just wondering if Gin-san was here."

"Gin-san?" asked Hinowa, sounding confused. "You're looking for Gin-san?"

"Yeah," said Kagura, "he kind of disappeared and we haven't been able to find him. We were wondering if he might still be here."

Hinowa continued to stare at them out of confusion. "You can't find him?" she asked.

"Nope," said Kagura with a frown.

"We actually kind of need to talk to him…" said Shinpachi with concern in his voice.

Hinowa simply stared back as she listened. _Gin-san has disappeared? After what happened last night? Something strange is definitely going on…_

"Um, why don't you two come on in?" asked Hinowa as she wheeled herself off to the side. "We can talk once you're out of the rain."

A few seconds later, the kids were inside of the house, quietly drying themselves off. Once they were satisfied with themselves, they looked over to Hinowa.

"Um, let's go into the living room before we start," suggested the courtesan. "I think Tsukuyo might want to hear this."

Hinowa then wheeled herself off as the two kids followed. Upon arriving in the living room, Tsukuyo silently looked up at them.

"Shinpachi? Kagura?" she asked, looking surprised.

The two kids immediately noticed that something was wrong with Tsukuyo. She definitely didn't seem like her usual self.

"Tsukky? What the-?"

"Tsukuyo-san?"

Tsukuyo just stared at them, starting to become confused. "What are you two doing here?" she asked them.

"Never mind that," said Shinpachi, looking concerned. "What's up with you? Are you alright?"

"You look like a mess," noted Kagura.

"Kagura-chan!" shouted Shinpachi. "That was rude! You didn't have to say that!"

"But it's true," she replied innocently. "What's up with you, Tsukky? You seem kind of down."

Tsukuyo continued to stare at them before finally dropping her gaze. "Um…it-it's nothing really…" she replied quietly. "Just tell me what you guys are doing here."

"Oh...well…" said Shinpachi, starting to remember. "We were actually wondering if Gin-san was here."

Tsukuyo stared up at the boy. "Gintoki…?"

"Yeah," said Kagura, "he's not still here, is he?"

Tsukuyo simply remained silent as she softly clenched her teeth. "Why…why would you think that _he_ would still be here?" she asked somewhat harshly.

"Oh, um…" said Shinpachi, suddenly looking kind of embarrassed. "Well, we kind of thought that…uh…you guys might still be…celebrating Valentines Day and all…uh, you know…" His voice drifted off as his face started turning red.

"What?" asked Tsukuyo, still very confused.

"We thought you two were having sex," Kagura blurted out.

Shinpachi immediately turned to face her. "Kagura-chan!"

"Well, we were…" she said simply.

Tsukuyo could start to feel herself blushing as she listened. "You…you guys thought we were…" She went silent as her entire face turned red.

Hinowa was starting to get confused as she listened. "Um, Shinpachi, Kagura," she softly called to them. "Don't you guys know what happened between Gin-san and Tsukuyo last night?"

Now the two kids were starting to look confused.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kagura.

"What happened last night?" asked Shinpachi.

Tsukuyo quietly looked up at them as they turned to face her. They honestly didn't know what Hinowa was referring to.

Tsukuyo paused before she decided to answer them. "Gintoki broke up with me last night," she told them dismally.

Upon hearing this, both of their mouths fell open out of surprise. "He…he did WHAT!?" they shouted.

"He came over and broke up with me last night," Tsukuyo repeated quietly. Once again, she could start to feel the tears reforming in her eyes. It seemed she couldn't help but cry every time she had to say it.

"S-seriously!?" asked Shinpachi, hardly believing what he was hearing. "But, why would he…?"

"Oh, that bastard!" Kagura shouted as she clenched her fists. "First he leaves that note, and now this!? What the hell does he think he's doing!?"

Shinpachi soon noticed the girl's outrage. "Kagura-chan, stop! Please calm down! We're going to get to the bottom of this, ok? Getting angry won't help!"

"Hold on a second," said Hinowa, looking curious. "What are you talking about, Kagura? What was that you said about a note?"

The two kids simply stared back at the courtesan. Tsukuyo was now carefully listening in to what they had to say.

"Oh yeah, I guess we should explain…" said Shinpachi as he reached into his pocket. He fumbled around for a bit before pulling out a small piece of paper. "Gin-san left this note for us back at our place. We were actually looking for him so that we could talk to him about it."

"What does it say?" asked Hinowa.

"Well," said Shinpachi, quietly staring down at the paper. "It's kind of weird and sudden. Here's what it says: _Shinpachi and Kagura, I have finally decided that I am sick and tired of dealing with the both of you. You are both just too much of a hassle for me to deal with each and every day of my life. That is why you are both fired. From this point forward, I will be handling the Odd Jobs business by myself. Go ahead and get lost. I don't want to have to see you two again. Farewell. –Gintoki._"

Once Shinpachi was finished, the room went silent. Everyone was trying to make sense out of what they had just heard.

After a while, Hinowa finally spoke up. "He fired you?" she asked.

"Apparently," said Shinpachi as he stared at the note. "I have no idea what Gin-san is trying to do by leaving this note for us. It doesn't really make any sense."

"I don't understand either," said Kagura as she crossed her arms. "Why would he tell us to get lost like that? And why would he just dump Tsukky out of the blue?"

"Hmm," said Hinowa as she put a hand to her chin. "You're right, it really doesn't make sense. Under normal circumstances, Gin-san would never do those kinds of things. I think we can all agree that something suspicious is going on."

"Really? Like what?" asked Kagura.

"Well, I don't know," Hinowa replied honestly, "but there must be a reason for why Gin-san has been acting so strangely."

"Hmm," said Shinpachi, quietly thinking about the situation. "You may be right, Hinowa-san. I think that we might need to take a closer look into what's going on here."

"You think we should go investigate?" asked Kagura curiously.

"Yeah, we need to get to the bottom of this. It's the only way that we'll be able to find out what Gin-san is up to."

"Well, okay then," agreed the young Yato. "In that case, I guess we should go and look for Gin-chan or something."

Hinowa simply stared at the two of them. "You two are heading out?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's our job to look after that fool," said Shinpachi with a smile.

"We're definitely going to find out what's going on!" Kagura shouted as she raised a fist.

"I see," said Hinowa with a small smile. "Well, I'll just leave it to you two then."

"Right," they both replied.

"Hey, hold on a second!" Tsukuyo suddenly shouted from her seat across the room. "I…I'm coming with you!"

The two kids stared at her for a moment before they both started smiling.

"You are?" asked Kagura.

Tsukuyo closed her eyes before slowly standing up. "Yes, I want to join you in your investigation."

Hinowa gave her a concerned look again. "Tsukuyo, are you sure? You've been sitting around and crying all morning. Do you really think you're up for something like this?"

Tsukuyo glanced at her before looking at the rain outside the window. "I also want to find out what Gintoki is up to and why he's been acting so strange. I want some answers."

Tsukuyo then turned to Hinowa with a small smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine. I can handle this."

"So…you're coming with us then?" asked Kagura with an excited look on her face.

"Yes, I'll help you guys investigate," she said, giving the girl a smile.

Hinowa simply sighed as she listened. "Well, alright then," she agreed. "If you really want to go, I won't stop you."

"Thank you, Hinowa," said Tsukuyo as she walked over to the courtesan. She then leaned in close and gave her a small hug. "For everything."

Hinowa could only give a soft smile as she returned the hug. "Of course dear."

After that, Tsukuyo quietly stood up and turned to face the two kids. "Just give me a minute," she told them, "I need to go and get ready."

"Of course," said Shinpachi with a small smile.

Tsukuyo then started making her way out of the room. Hinowa simply watched as she left.

"Mmm, that poor girl," she said, looking concerned once again. "She took this breakup with Gin-san really hard. She's been crying all morning."

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Kagura, also starting to look concerned.

Hinowa gave a small smile as she turned to the two of them. "Yes, I think she'll be alright. She does seem more positive and focused now. But even so, I just can't help but worry about her…"

Hinowa then paused before continuing. "Can I ask a favor of you two?"

"What is it?" asked Shinpachi.

"When you guys are out on your investigation, can you please just take care of Tsukuyo for me? You know, just keep an eye on her and make sure that she's doing alright? Like I said, I just can't help but worry about her."

Shinpachi and Kagura simply smiled as they listened.

"Just leave it to us," said Shinpachi.

"We'll take good care of Tsukky," said Kagura.

Hinowa gratefully returned the smile as she gave a slight bow. "Thank you."

* * *

**Well, here's the next chapter! A long one too ;) I was originally thinking about splitting it into two, but when the first part came up short, I just decided to add the rest. You're welcome!**

**So yeah, it seems like this chapter ended up raising more questions than actually answer any XD Don't worry, I think I can finally get some answers out in the next chapter! I know, I know, I have a lot of explaining to do! XD**

**By the way, thank you all for not freaking out after the last chapter! Many of you were very understanding and calm in you reviews. I truly appreciate that. I also liked seeing what you guys had to say. It was kind of a crazy chapter, so thank you for being supportive! :)**

**As for this chapter, I hope it didn't make you too sad. I'll admit, it was pretty depressing. Poor Tsukuyo…But hey, I threw a little comedy in there too, so it's all good XD**

**Oh, by the way, **_**Berserk**_** is coming back. Yay :D**

**Yeah, yeah, I know you guys don't care XD Well, I think that's about all I have to say for now. Please leave a review for this chapter and please look forward to getting some answers in the next one! See ya!**


	24. Book 2 - Chapter 10

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 10

Shinpachi and Kagura were making their way through the streets of Edo as Tsukuyo followed behind them. The rain had recently stopped and all that remained of the previous night's storm was a dark and cloudy sky. The group was currently heading for a place where they could hopefully find some information on Gintoki.

"Are you sure about this Tsukuyo-san?" asked Shinpachi, turning around to face the courtesan as they walked. "Do you really think that Katsura-san knows something that could help us?"

Tsukuyo simply stared at the ground as she gave a sigh. "Well, I'm not exactly sure if he'll actually know anything, but I really do think he's our best option right now."

"Why is that, again?" asked Kagura as she started picking her nose.

"Don't you remember?" asked Tsukuyo as she stared at the back of the girl's head. "I already told you all of this. When Gintoki showed up at my house last night, he was carrying a real sword with him. When I asked him about it, he told me that he had received it from Katsura. From what I can tell, that means that Katsura must have something to do with all of this."

"Well, if you say so," said Kagura, simply deciding to go along with it.

"That makes sense," said Shinpachi, facing forward again. "Hopefully, Katsura-san will be able to give us some answers."

"I hope so too," Tsukuyo replied quietly as she started staring at a puddle on the ground. _Maybe then I'll find out why you did this, Gintoki…_

Tsukuyo then gave a frown as she thought about the man. Even though she had managed to calm down, she still felt upset about the whole situation. Just thinking about it made her feel depressed.

As they walked, Kagura took a look behind her to see Tsukuyo silently staring at the ground. She then gave a frown as she watched her.

_Poor Tsukky _she thought. _She must still feel really sad. I should probably try to help her feel better. After all, I did make a promise to look after her…_

"Hey, Tsukky," she suddenly called to the courtesan.

Tsukuyo immediately looked up to find Kagura staring at her. "Yeah?" she asked.

Kagura stared at her for a second before giving her a small smile. "Don't worry, it's all going to be okay," she said. "We're going to figure this out."

Tsukuyo simply stared back at the girl, not quite sure what to say.

Kagura then faced forward again before she continued speaking. "You know, Gin-chan sometimes goes off and does stupid stuff like this. I know that it can be hard to deal with at times, and that it doesn't always make a lot of sense, but no matter what happens, everything always seems to work itself out in the end. That's just the way it's always been."

Kagura paused for a moment before finishing. "So, I guess what I'm basically saying is that you don't have to feel bad about this anymore. And that's because, in the end, you know everything will turn out okay, right?"

Tsukuyo continued staring at her for a second before a small smile came to her face. "Right," she replied.

"So do you feel better now?" asked the girl, still looking straight ahead.

"Yes, thank you, Kagura. Your words did make me feel better."

Kagura smiled to herself as she quietly looked over to Shinpachi. He simply smiled back as he gave her a thumbs up. He was just letting her know that she had done a good job on keeping their promise.

The group then continued walking on in silence, each of them feeling a bit happier with themselves. After a while, they came to arrive at the front door of the Joi's 'secret' hideout. They all patiently stood outside as Kagura pounded on the door.

It took a minute before somebody actually came and answered it. One of the men on the inside slightly cracked the door open before peering out with one eye. "Hello? Who's out there?" he asked rather defensively.

"Hey, it's us," said Kagura simply. She casually pointed to herself and the other two that were with her.

The man's eyes went wide as he suddenly recognized who was standing outside his door. "Oh! It's you, Leader!" he said as he quickly slid the door all the way open. "Please, come right on in," he said with a welcoming smile.

"Thanks," said Kagura as she entered the building. Shinpachi and Tsukuyo soon followed behind her.

Once everyone was inside, the man quietly closed the door behind him. He appeared to be just another one of Katsura's many followers. "So, what brings you here today?" he asked curiously.

"We're here to talk to Zura," she told him. "Do you think we could do that right now?"

"Why of course," replied the man with a small smile. "I'll take you to him right away."

"Great," replied Kagura.

"Please, follow me," instructed the man, starting to lead the group into the building.

As they walked, Tsukuyo couldn't help but lean forward and start whispering to the boy in front of her. "Hey, Shinpachi," she said.

"What's up?" he asked, slightly turning back to look at her.

"Why does it seem like Kagura has so much power around here? That man is doing whatever she tells him to do. I mean, she's not a Joi rebel or anything like that, is she?"

"Who, Kagura-chan?" asked Shinpachi with a look of doubt. "No, she's not one of them. They just like to treat her special for some reason."

"Why do they call her 'Leader'?" asked Tsukuyo, still curious.

"Beats me," he replied with a shrug, "but they really seem to get a kick out of it."

Suddenly, the man who was leading the group stopped outside of a door. "Alright, here we are," he announced. "Let me just tell him that you're all here to see him."

With that, the man opened the door and stuck his head inside. "Excuse me sir, some of your friends are here and they would like to talk to you. Shall I let them in?"

The group was able to hear somebody give a reply from inside the room before the man retracted his head. "Go right on in," he said as he stepped out of the way.

"Thanks again," said Kagura as she walked into the room.

"Anytime," replied the man with a pleasant smile. He seemed like a really nice guy considering the fact that he was actually a terrorist.

The group took a look around the room once they were all inside. It was small and mostly empty. Katsura was silently sitting on the floor, apparently looking over some papers that he held in his hands.

Eventually, Katsura looked up from his papers and recognized the people that stood before him. "Ah, Leader, Shinpachi, Tsukuyo," he said as he scanned over them. "What are you all doing here?"

"We came to talk to you," said Kagura in a serious tone.

"We were hoping you might be able to answer some questions for us," Shinpachi explained.

"Oh, I see," said Katsura as he stared up at them. "What would you like to know?"

"We want to know what's up with Gin-chan," said Kagura, getting right to the point.

"Gintoki?" repeated Katsura as a troubled look appeared on his face. "Well, what do you mean?"

"Can you tell us why he's been acting so strange lately?" asked Shinpachi. "We don't have any idea where he is right now, and we were kind of under the impression that you could help us."

Katsura continued staring at them for a moment before he lowered his gaze. He then gave a small sigh. "I can't help you," he said bluntly.

"What? Why not?" asked Kagura, starting to look upset. His response was clearly not the one she had been expecting.

"Look, stop worrying about this," said Katsura as he looked away from the group. "Just forget about it and go back home."

"What? We can't just forget about this!" Kagura shouted at him.

Shinpachi suddenly put a hand on her shoulder as he sighed. He then turned to Katsura with a calm expression. "Look, we know that something suspicious is going on, and that you must know something about it. Please tell us, Katsura-san. This is really important."

Katsura lightly clenched his teeth before bowing his head. "I'm sorry," he replied, "but I'm not supposed to say anything. Gintoki demanded that I keep quiet about it."

"So you do know something about all of this?" asked Kagura, still upset. "Damn it Zura, just tell us already!"

"Please Katsura-san," begged Shinpachi. "We really need to know what's going on with Gin-san right now. He's been doing some pretty nasty stuff to us from the shadows. We can't just let this go."

Katsura simply stared at them with a look of guilt on his face. "I…I'm really not supposed to say anything…" he kept on telling them.

"Damn it Zura!" Kagura shouted again. "Didn't you just hear Shinpachi? Gin-chan has been hurting the three of us! He left us a freaking note saying that were fired!"

Katsura immediately froze and gave them a look of surprise. "He…he did?" he asked softly.

"And that's not even the worst of it!" Kagura shouted at him. "What he did to Tsukky is almost unforgiveable!"

Katsura quietly turned to face Tsukuyo, who had yet to say a word about any of this. "What…what did he…?" he tried to ask her.

Tsukuyo stared at him for a second before looking at the ground. A single tear managed to slip out of her eye. "He…broke up with me," she revealed quietly.

Katsura looked completely shocked upon hearing this. "He…he didn't…" he whispered. Katsura knew how much that relationship had meant to the two of them. He had a hard time believing that Gintoki would have suddenly ended it out of nowhere.

"He _did_," Tsukuyo said, looking back up at the man. "He broke my heart and then he said goodbye…"

"It's all true, Katsura-san," said Shinpachi with a serious expression. "Gin-san fired us and then he broke up with Tsukuyo-san. It's almost like he's trying his best to hurt us."

"But…but why would he…?" asked Katsura, looking extremely confused. He then stared at the floor as he thought back on the events that had taken place two nights before. "Damn it, Gintoki, just what are you trying to do?" he mumbled to himself.

Kagura, Shinpachi and Tsukuyo simply watched the man as he sat there. It was obvious that he was deep in thought about something.

Katsura suddenly slammed his fist down on the floor as he clenched his teeth. "Shit!" he cursed. "Is _that_ what you're planning, Gintoki!? Is that why you did all of this!?"

The three onlookers went silent as they stared at the rebel. They had not been expecting such a sudden outrage.

"Katsura-san?" asked Shinpachi.

Katsura simply gave a sigh as he put a hand to his head. "Forgive me," he said, "but I'm afraid that I fear the worst for our friend Gintoki."

"What are you talking about?" asked Shinpachi, starting to look concerned.

"What's wrong with Gin-chan?" asked Kagura, who was also looking worried.

"Is he okay?"

"Where is he?"

"Silence!" Katsura suddenly shouted at the two of them. "Please, try to calm down and listen for a second. Let me explain just what exactly is going on."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kagura, still looking worried.

"Are you finally going to tell us what you know?" asked Tsukuyo quietly from the back. She simply crossed her arms as she stared down at the man with a serious expression.

Katsura gave a sigh before answering her. "Yes, I'm going to tell you what I know about Gintoki and his strange behavior. I think I might actually have an explanation for why he is acting the way that he is right now. However, before I can explain this to you, I must fill you in on the events that took place a couple of nights ago. Do you all think you could listen to a story for me?"

Each of them silently gave a nod as they started listening carefully. They were ready to finally get some of the answers that they had been searching for.

"Very well," said Katsura, quietly looking away from the group. "Please, listen closely. This all seems to have started a few nights ago, when Gintoki and I randomly met up in Yoshiwara…"

* * *

_Flashback to the night of the 13__th__, when Gintoki, Katsura, and Elizabeth snuck into the palace…_

Gintoki clenched his teeth once more as he stared at the overlord in front of him. "So then we have met before? I knew you seemed familiar!"

Kami just laughed as he listened to the samurai. He then started walking towards Gintoki before stopping a short distance away.

"It's funny," he said with a smile. "Tonight, you came here looking for me, when the last time we met…"

Kami then paused as he slowly removed his glasses. He then stared at Gintoki with his bare green eyes.

"…I said I would come looking for you…"

Gintoki suddenly froze as he stared at the overlord. "I know…" he said quietly. "I know who you are!"

It had finally clicked. He now recognized the man.

"I remember you! You're…!"

Gintoki paused as a previous memory of the man came to his mind. He was standing underneath his umbrella, a small grin on his face, and the sun shining brightly behind him…

"You're _Kagura's brother_!" he yelled.

Upon hearing this, the overlord simply gave the samurai a big smile. He quietly took the pair of glasses that sat within his hand and stuffed them into his robe. "So you finally figured it out, eh?" he asked softly.

Katsura and Elizabeth simply remained still within their captors' grasps. They could only give a surprised look to the overlord that stood before them.

"Leader's…brother?" Katsura mumbled to himself.

"I know it's you!" Gintoki shouted at the man. "You may look different from before, but I definitely know that you're him! You're Kagura's brother!"

The overlord simply gave a smirk as he listened. "Perhaps some introductions are in order?" he asked somewhat playfully.

Gintoki glared at the man from the position he was stuck in. The guard that was holding him was still keeping up a tight embrace.

"Please, allow me to formally introduce myself," said the overlord as he slowly brought his hands up to his eyes. He then carefully removed what appeared to be two small contact lenses. After that, he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them wide. Instead of his usual green color, his eyes were now a deep shade of blue.

"The name is Kamui," he replied with a malicious smile. "And yes, I am that weakling's older brother."

Gintoki clenched his teeth as he stared back at the man. His long black hair was still neatly tied up in a ponytail, but aside from that, he was the spitting image of the kid he had met before. Those blue eyes and that smile were definitely the same as back then.

Katsura could only look back and forth between the two of them out of confusion. He currently had no idea what was going on. "Hey, Gintoki," he called, "do you know this guy or something?"

Gintoki paused before he gave a reply. "Yes, a long time ago I met him here in Yoshiwara. I had actually almost forgotten about him…"

"Who is he?" asked Katsura, turning to Kamui with a curious look.

"Well," said Gintoki, also staring at the man, "simply put, he's the problem child of Umibozu, and Kagura's twisted older brother."

Kamui simply gave a sigh as he listened to the two of them. "Oh, come on now, surely I'm known for something other than those two? Are they all you think about when you see me? That's just upsetting…"

Kamui then turned to look at Gintoki with a blank expression. "Oh, by the way," he said casually, "I'm not here alone. I also brought my friend Abuto along with me."

"Oh, please," said the man known as Edward, suddenly walking up to the group. "Did you really just call me your friend? You're starting to give me a warm feeling over here."

"Fine then," said Kamui with a shrug, "this is my assistant, Abuto. Perhaps you remember him as well?"

"Heh, and now I'm starting like the term _friend _again," said Abuto sarcastically. He removed his monocle from his eye and he started messing up his well-kept hairstyle. By the time he was done, his light brown hair was looking shaggy once again.

Gintoki simply froze as he watched. "I…I recognize him too," he said quietly.

"You do?" asked Katsura, still confused about the whole situation.

"Yeah, Shinpachi and Kagura took him on way back when…"

Kamui simply gave a smile as he watched the reactions of his prisoners. "I suppose I should also mention that I brought quite a few Yato guards along with me."

"Yato?" asked Katsura, looking around the room. "The guards here are all Yato?"

Gintoki turned back to the guard that was currently holding him. "I suppose that would explain why they're so strong…"

The guard simply smirked as he tightened his hold on the samurai. "Hey now, give us some credit here," he said with a laugh.

Gintoki clenched his teeth as he faced forward again. "I don't understand," he said. "So what, you were pretending to be the overlord this entire time? You were wearing disguises?"

"You got it," said Kamui as he slowly undid his ponytail. "All we really had to do was dress ourselves up and look nice. The expensive robes and neat hair basically did the job for us."

"But even then," said Abuto with a small grin, "we didn't want to take the risk of having someone accidently recognize us, so we made sure to take some extra precautions."

"Extra precautions? You mean like that stupid monocle?" asked Gintoki with a smirk.

Kamui, who was currently holding his hair, gave a small laugh upon hearing this. His long black hair was now loose, and it looked like he was slowly braiding it a certain way.

"Precisely," he explained while he worked. "I myself wore a simple pair of glasses that I didn't even need. You see, the lenses inside were actually dull and didn't do a thing. In addition to that, I wore a couple of green-tinted contact lenses in order to hide my true eyes."

"And your hair?" asked Gintoki somewhat sarcastically. "It didn't look like that before, did you just bother to dye it while you were at it?"

"On the contrary, he stopped dying it," said Abuto with a small smile. "You see, the captain's hair is naturally black, just like his father's. However, he has such a strong dislike for the old man that he actually dyes it a different color just to spite him-"

"That's enough, Abuto," said Kamui with an upset look on his face. "Another word about that and I'll kill you right here and now."

"Sheesh, so sensitive," mumbled Abuto with a smile.

"Anyways," said Kamui, finally finishing up with his hair. "All I really had to do was change my hairstyle along with the color. And in the end, it certainly fooled a lot of people, didn't it?" He then gave a smile as he let go of his newly braided hair

"Well, what do you think?" asked Kamui, his arms stretched out to the sides. Save the color of his hair, he was now looking the exact same as he usually did.

Gintoki simply stared at the man before he spoke up. "I still don't understand," he said. "Why did you even come here in the first place? Why are you acting as Yoshiwara's overlord?"

Kamui silently stared up at him, giving him a small grin. He did not say a word.

"Well!?" Gintoki shouted, starting to get angry. "Answer me! Why are you here right now!?"

Kamui simply turned around and put his hands behind his back as he slowly started walking away. "Why did I come here?" he repeated to himself. "Why did I wear a disguise? Why did I act as overlord?"

Kamui then stopped in his tracks. "You see, it's all very simple," he said. "I did all of those things for one reason and one reason only."

"Yeah, what is it?" asked Gintoki, clenching his teeth again.

Kamui paused before he slowly turned around and showed Gintoki the large determined grin on his face.

"I came here to fight you," he said simply.

* * *

**Finally some answers! Well, it looks like the secret is officially out. Kami is Kamui and Edward is Abuto. How do you like that? Was it a good surprise? Well, maybe not, I think some of you knew it was them XD**

**Anyways, this chapter clearly doesn't answer everything, so I'll have to do more explaining in the upcoming chapters. Rest assured, this flashback will continue when I update next. Let's hope that I can explain everything well! I'd really hate to screw this up XD**

**But for now, let's explain some stuff I probably won't be able to fit into the chapters! You know, stuff that's interesting but not really relevant. In other words, stuff that Gintoki and the other characters don't really care about XD**

**First off: the names Kami and Edward. Where did I get them? Well, please allow me to explain. When I was originally writing the outline for Book 2, I knew that I would have Kamui and Abuto appear under disguised names. So I thought to myself, what would be a good disguise name for Kamui? Hmm…what about **_**Kami**_**? Yep, sounds good, moving on XD **

**Abuto was a bit trickier. I didn't want to just give him a name that sounded similar to his real one, as that would make their true identities way too obvious. So, what I ended up doing was going through characters from different anime/manga series and looking at their names. Eventually, I decided to use Edward Elric, from **_**Fullmetal Alchemist**_**. Why? Simple, both Edward and Abuto have a mechanical arm. That's all there was to it XD**

**But yeah, that was that. It took me about 5 minutes to come up with Abuto's disguise name and about 2 seconds for me to come up with Kamui's XD That was quite a bit of hard work for me, eh?**

**And finally one last thing: Kamui's grin. You know, the one that Gintoki thought looked so familiar. Well, it's basically just this evil smile that Kamui gives when he has his eyes open. You can see it in Opening 9, right after Kamui licks his hand. I think it's kind of rare, but I do notice it from time to time. I'm not sure if Gintoki has actually ever seen this look before though XD I just added it for plot purposes, enough said.**

**But wow, look at me! I've never rambled on for this long before! My apologies, this must be a real eyesore! I'll just wrap things up now. Please leave a review with your thoughts on Kamui and his appearance within the story! I myself am really excited about it! Let me know! See you later!**


	25. Book 2 - Chapter 11

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 11

_Katsura's flashback continued…_

"I came here to fight you," said Kamui simply.

Gintoki could only stare back at the man out of confusion. He was starting to wonder if he had heard him right. "You want to…fight me?"

"That's right," replied Kamui, as if the answer were obvious.

Gintoki looked over to Katsura and Elizabeth for a moment to find that they were just as confused as he was. "Why?" he asked as he faced Kamui again.

"Why?" repeated Kamui, still showing his large grin. "Well, that's an easy one. I want to fight you for _fun_. That's all."

"For fun?" asked Katsura, looking appalled.

Elizabeth managed to pull out a small sign that read, 'This guy gives me the creeps…'

As for Gintoki, all of this only seemed to ring a bell. He was soon starting to remember something that the young man had told him a long time ago. It was just after Hosen had been defeated underneath the light of the sun. Kamui had turned away from Gintoki with a smile on his face.

"_I'm the kind of person who saves his favorite part of a meal for the end. In other words, I've taken a liking to you. Make sure to heal those wounds. Well, you probably have a lot to deal with, but don't die…until I kill you. See ya, Samurai-san."_

Gintoki just stayed silent as he thought about all of this. _That's right. He did say that he was coming for me, didn't he? He's been patiently waiting to fight with me this entire time…_

"I still don't understand," said Gintoki, staring directly at Kamui. "Why were you pretending to be the overlord?"

"Pretending?" asked Kamui, a surprised look on his face. "I wasn't pretending to be the overlord, I _was _the overlord." Kamui then gave a small smile. "I still am, actually."

Gintoki glared at the kid out of frustration. It was obvious at that point that he was just toying with the samurai.

"Well, I suppose I should answer your questions," continued Kamui, still smiling. "You deserve to know what's going on. Please, allow me to calmly explain everything."

Kamui then did something surprising. He turned to the guard that was currently holding Gintoki and started giving him orders. "Go ahead and release that one," he said sternly.

"Are you sure, captain?" asked the guard, looking a little surprised.

"No worries, he won't try anything," said Kamui, looking rather confident. "And even if he does, well then, _so much the better for me_."

"Alright then," replied the guard, immediately releasing his hold on the samurai.

The moment Gintoki's feet touched the ground his hand instinctively went to the sword at his side. He firmly held onto it, ready to draw it and defend himself at a moment's notice.

Kamui just laughed when he saw this. "Oh please, you don't have to be so edgy, _Gintoki_."

Gintoki winced when he heard his name. He didn't like the way the kid said it. He wished that he still called him Samurai-san like he had before he learned the samurai's real name.

"Hey, aren't you going to release us too?" asked Katsura from the place where he was being held captive.

Kamui stared at him for a second with a blank expression. "I don't know you, so I can't trust you. I think I'll just play it safe and keep you two right there for now." He then turned to Gintoki with a curious smile. "Now, are you going to calm down so we can talk, or are we just going to fight here and now? Your choice."

Gintoki glared back at that smile of his. He then took a glance around the room. Any chance of escape looked impossible. It would be pointless to resist the group that stood before him. He eventually decided to release the grasp on his sword and give a sigh. "Fine, go ahead and explain yourself," he finally answered.

"Wonderful," said Kamui, looking pleased with himself. "Let's see, where should we start?"

Kamui soon started pacing back and forth as he began. "Well, I suppose it all began about a month ago when I suddenly felt the urge to fight you. I had just remembered our previous encounter here in Yoshiwara and it was rather refreshing. I desperately wanted to see you again. I wanted to see you in action. I wanted to see how _you_ would fair against _me_." Kamui was now looking very excited.

"So, I decided to do the thing that seemed most obvious given my situation: come here and find you. I quickly convinced my men to set a course for this planet. I was going to find you at any cost. Before long, we had arrived in the land of the samurai."

"Excuse me," said Katsura suddenly from his place across the room. He was staring straight at Kamui with a determined look in his eyes. "I hate to interrupt, but there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Kamui stared at him with a blank expression. "Fire away," he replied.

"The ship that you arrived here on, it belongs to an extremist group known as the Kiheitai. My men have already confirmed this. Tell me, what exactly are your ties with them?"

"The Kiheitai?" repeated Kamui, looking confused for a moment. "Oh, you mean Shinsuke's group. We're in an alliance together."

"A what?" asked Katsura, looking alarmed.

"An alliance," explained Kamui. "My group and his are working together for now. It would seem that we both have something to gain from it."

"You and Takasugi?" asked Gintoki, also looking worried. "Is he here too? I mean, is he playing a part in all of this?"

"No, of course not," said Kamui, looking at Gintoki like he had just asked a stupid question. "I'm only here for my own personal reasons. Shinsuke has nothing to do with any of this. I just borrowed one of his ships and took it straight here. I doubt he even knows where I am."

"He probably noticed that one of his ships is gone though…and _us_ along with it," mumbled Abuto from his place off to the side.

"Perhaps," said Kamui, who didn't seem to care.

"This is bad," Katsura whispered to Elizabeth. "This guy looks dangerous, and he's working with Takasugi. We definitely must keep an eye out for them in the future."

Elizabeth just gave a small nod to show that he understood.

"Anyways, can I get back to my story now?" asked Kamui, looking annoyed.

"Huh? Oh, of course," Katsura replied mindlessly.

"Right, so where was I? Oh, yeah. So we had just set a course for Earth when we soon discovered a small problem." Kamui paused as he looked over to Gintoki. "We knew absolutely _nothing_ about you."

Gintoki just stared back as he patiently waited for him to continue.

Kamui soon looked away as he resumed his pacing. "We didn't know your name. We didn't know where you lived. We had absolutely no clue how to find you. It was at that point that we realized that we would need a plan. You see, we couldn't just walk into the country and hope to find you by chance. We had to find a way to draw you out. We had to make a plan."

"Well then, what was it?" asked Gintoki, even though he felt like he already knew the answer.

"Simple: _play overlord_," said Kamui with a grin. He then slowly reached into his robes before pulling out an important looking document. "It all started with this, the deed to the city of Yoshiwara."

"Where did you get that?" asked Gintoki, suddenly clenching his teeth again.

"It was a gift," he explained, "or rather, it was a part of my inheritance. You see, when my old master, Hosen, died at your hands, my superiors quickly granted the document to me. I was allowed the right to have total control over this city."

Gintoki stood still as he listened. All of this information was starting to sound familiar. He was almost certain he had heard it somewhere before.

"However," said Kamui, a small frown coming to his face, "I never actually did anything with the city. It simply failed to provide anything useful for me. The deed served no real purpose…well, until now, that is."

Abuto suddenly cleared his throat as he walked up to the group. "I was the one who came up with the entire overlord plan. You see, I thought it would be best to hide our true identities under a position of power. I didn't want to risk anyone discovering us until we found that specific samurai that the captain was looking for. I figured being the temporary overlord of Yoshiwara wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"You thought being in a position of power would be a good way to lay low?" asked Gintoki, looking skeptical.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" asked Abuto with a grin. "Nobody would ever suspect such a kind and wonderful overlord. I'd say that we played our roles quite nicely."

"I could hardly stand it," said Kamui as he crossed his arms. "Having to be polite all the time, I thought I was going to die."

"Don't worry, you did a good job, captain," said Abuto reassuringly. "Everyone we met fell for you performance. In fact, you almost fooled me a couple of times."

Gintoki quickly thought back to the night when he had first met the man. He remembered seeing the way that the citizens had treated him. It was true; they had all fallen in love with this fake overlord. Up to this point, even Gintoki had failed to notice anything wrong with him.

"Anyways, we only wanted to find a way to attract _your_ attention," Abuto continued. "We didn't want any unnecessary commotion to get in the way of that. Rather, we didn't want any uninvited guests, if you know what I mean." Abuto then turned to Katsura and Elizabeth. "Although, I suppose we must have screwed up at some point, because these two ended up becoming suspicious of our presence here."

"The Kiheitai and their affiliates are always suspicious," replied Katsura with a glare.

"Basically," said Kamui, "we didn't want anyone coming after us except for you, Gintoki. So we came in and politely introduced ourselves as the new government to Yoshiwara. I became Kami; he became Edward. We managed to make up some stupid backstory to explain our sudden appearance. After that, we did our best to help the city so that people would trust us. And, within a few weeks' time, they did, _easily_. After a while, nobody questioned us. Instead, they welcomed us. They didn't want us to leave. They _loved_ us."

Kamui then smiled as he continued pacing. "Once we had their trust, our disguises and positions were secured. The rest was easy. All we had left to do was set the trap: something that would deliver you right into my hands. So, we thought it over and came up with the perfect trap. It would be something that would seem harmless at first, but by the time it was over, would definitely attract a lot of people's attention."

Gintoki suddenly froze. "You can't mean…"

"Yes, the Hyakka celebration ceremony," Kamui answered with a grin. "Man, you all thought I was so nice for coming up with that idea. I can't really blame you though; you all trusted me. It really did look like we were going to have a day of thanks for those wonderful Hyakka. Nobody ever considered that it might actually be something different…"

"You see, at some point during the ceremony, there was going to be an _accident_…or maybe not an accident, but rather a _terrorist_ _attack_. Hidden explosives would unexpectedly go off and destroy everything within sight. Most, if not all of the Hyakka, would die. And with that, Yoshiwara's police force would be out of the way. To the public, the incident would appear to be a terrible, tragic accident. Who would dare to attack the city and its police on their day of celebration? Surely it wasn't the overlord? No, of course not, he would never do something like that…"

Kamui was now smiling insanely. "We knew that you cared about Yoshiwara, at least a little bit. After all, you were the one who set the city free from Hosen, the king of the night. We knew that you would be alarmed upon hearing of this accident. We hoped that you would come straight here, to see what had happened, to see what you could find out. And when you did, I would be waiting. I would finally find you, reveal myself, and then we would fight. This was our ultimate plan."

Kamui then paused as he glanced over to Gintoki. "However, something unexpected happened. I found you with no trouble at all. You were just sitting in a restaurant, relaxing with your girlfriend. I could hardly believe my eyes when I recognized you. It had been so easy. I mean, I figured you probably came to visit Yoshiwara from time to time, but I wasn't expecting to simply bump into you like that. I immediately became excited. I could hardly believe my eyes. There you were, right in front of me! I wanted to fight you right then and there, but I knew better. I knew that it would be best to stick with the plan at the time. Abuto drilled that into me…however, that didn't stop me from collecting some information about you. I learned your name, where you lived, how often you come to visit Yoshiwara…it was all very useful."

"The captain told me about you later that night," explained Abuto. "He told me that you were the samurai he was looking for and that he wanted to fight you immediately. I managed to convince him otherwise and advised that we stick with the plan. Like we said before, we didn't want to risk any unnecessary attention. It was best to keep laying low until the time was right."

Abuto then gave a sigh. "However, the captain is rather impatient and he was itching to get his own way. He was desperately hoping that you would become suspicious of him and come looking for him. He _wanted_ you to figure out his true identity so he could fight you sooner."

"And you did!" exclaimed Kamui happily. "You came here tonight and recognized me. You see, I had no choice but to reveal myself then. I guess that means we'll have to abandon the plan. Oh well, what a shame."

"Don't act like you're all disappointed," said Abuto with a frown. "You could hardly wait for that guy to recognize you. You actually couldn't be any happier right now, could you?"

"Well, maybe I was hoping he would recognize me," admitted Kamui with a guilty smile. "It doesn't matter, everything I cared about still fell into place. I found the samurai I wanted to fight without having to go through with that stupid ceremony! It all worked out in the end."

Gintoki simply remained silent as he tried to take everything in. He had no idea that such an elaborate plan had been in the works this entire time, and it was all for him. It was almost unbelievable.

Kamui suddenly turned to face Gintoki with an excited grin. "There's nothing left to hold me back. I can fight you now."

Gintoki stared straight back at the man. He was silent for a moment before he eventually replied. "Are you crazy?" he asked. "I'm not fighting you."

At this, Kamui tilted his head out of curiosity. "Oh?"

Katsura also started staring at the samurai. "Gintoki…" he muttered.

"Why should I fight you?" asked Gintoki rather defensively. "There's nothing for me to get out of it. And I honestly couldn't care less about giving you a fun time or anything like that. You're _insane_."

Kamui simply smiled.

"I'm out of here," said Gintoki, suddenly turning around. He was soon making his way for one of the doors. It looked like the samurai was completely uninterested with his current situation.

"What the-?" muttered Katsura. "Hey, Gintoki! Wait!"

Gintoki suddenly stopped in his tracks, but not because Katsura had just called for him. Standing in front of him, a devious smile on his face, was Kamui.

Gintoki blinked as he stared at the man. _So fast! How did he…?_

"You're not going to fight, you say?" asked Kamui, looking curious. "It looks like you might need some motivation. If you'd like, I can go ahead and carry out my plans for that celebration ceremony. Or even better, I can just leave the palace and start killing people right now. I think I still remember where your girlfriend lives…maybe I'll pay her a visit. Would that make you want to fight me?"

Gintoki clenched his teeth again. "Y-you wouldn't…"

"I'd do just about anything so long as I get what I want. Right now, I want to fight you. I want to test our strengths and see who comes out alive. What? Is that too much to ask?"

"Hey, kid!" Katsura suddenly called from across the room. "Tell me something, would you? Just exactly how strong are you?"

Kamui glanced at him with a surprising polite smile. "Oh, I'm about as strong as my master Hosen was. Probably even stronger actually…"

Gintoki's mouth fell open. He was starting to realize just how inferior he really was to this kid. He felt intimidated. He felt powerless. He felt _weak_.

_This is bad_ he thought. _If I were to fight this guy, would I really have a chance at winning? From what I've seen, he'd probably kill me in an instant. The smart thing to do would be to avoid fighting him at all costs. But I can't just do that! He's starting to threaten innocent lives! Everyone in Yoshiwara is in danger! Especially Tsukuyo!_

_Damn it _he cursed. _Damn it damn it damn it! What's the right choice? What am I supposed to do?_

Gintoki stayed silent as he started looking for a solution to his current situation. Of all those present, nobody disturbed him, as he was clearly deep in thought.

After waiting for a while, Kamui eventually asked, "Well?"

Gintoki slowly looked up at the man. "Alright, I'll fight you," he said quietly.

"What?" shouted Katsura. "Gintoki, you will?"

Kamui gave him a smile. "Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, I'll fight you," Gintoki repeated firmly. He then looked at the floor as he clenched his fists. "But," he said suddenly, "I have two conditions that you must fulfill if we are to do this. These are nonnegotiable."

"Yes?" asked Kamui politely. "What would you like?"

Gintoki looked back up at him, his expression completely serious. "First, no matter what the outcome of our fight is, you must promise to leave Yoshiwara alone. Whether I win or lose, I don't want you to ever come back here. This city and its people will forever be off-limits to you and your men. Do you understand?"

Kamui paused before giving a small nod. "What else?"

"Second, I'm going to need a day or two to prepare before we can actually fight. I'll leave the palace tonight and then come back once I'm ready. That's all."

"I see," said Kamui as he quietly considered the requests. "Very well, I suppose I can accept those conditions in exchange for a fight with you."

"So you'll agree to it then?" asked Gintoki, giving the man a small glare.

"Of course, but first, let me state _my _conditions," said Kamui with another malicious grin. "I want to have an all-out fight with you. That means we both need to be at 100% with no holding back. I want you at your absolute _best_. I will expect nothing less from our match."

Gintoki nodded in agreement. "I can promise that," he replied, sounding determined.

"Well good," said Kamui with a pleasant smile. "I suppose I could also use a few days to prepare. I want to take the opportunity to get my hair back to normal before we go at it."

Kamui then took a glance around the room. "Well, I guess that settles everything. Come back here within the next few days for our fight. I'll be waiting," he said, looking absolutely thrilled. "In the meantime, you're all free to go."

And with that, all of the guards started to disperse. The two that were still holding Katsura and Elizabeth had started making their way for the exit. "Come on," one of them grunted to Gintoki.

Gintoki silently began to follow them when he stopped in his tracks. He turned around. "Hey, Kamui."

"Yes?" asked the Yato boy.

"Remember to keep your promise, or the deals off," said Gintoki, looking dead serious.

"Of course," he replied simply.

Gintoki turned around without another word. He then followed the guards out of the room.

* * *

Outside the palace, Katsura and Elizabeth were picking themselves up off the ground. The two guards that had been carrying them had just roughly tossed them out. Gintoki was silently standing off to the side, facing away from them.

Katsura lightly spat on the ground before gently wiping his mouth. "Gintoki," he mumbled, "what the hell was that all about? Are you seriously going to fight that guy?"

Gintoki was quiet for a minute. "Yes," he eventually replied.

"Why?"

"Didn't you hear him?" asked Gintoki somewhat harshly. "He was threatening the lives of innocent people because of me! What was I supposed to do?"

Katsura didn't know what to say. Gintoki had a good point. "I don't know," he finally said, "but is this really the right thing to do?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly.

"Do you think you could beat him in a one-on-one fight?"

Gintoki went silent again before he answered. "I…I'm not sure. I mean, that kid said that he was as strong as Hosen. I don't think I can compete with that."

"You can't?" asked Katsura, a little confused. "But, I thought that you were the one who defeated Hosen in the past. I remember hearing about it. How is this time any different?"

"I didn't beat Hosen by myself," said Gintoki truthfully. "I was only able to do it because I had a lot of help. And in the end, he was mostly finished because of his weakness to the sun. If you think about it, I basically just got lucky with that fight. If I had fought with Hosen one-on-one, I am sure that I would have easily lost."

Katsura stared at the samurai, trying to take all of this in. Elizabeth simply stayed quiet.

"I think this time will be no different," Gintoki continued. "Kamui probably won't have any trouble killing me. It will be an easy win for him."

"You can't be serious," said Katsura, looking upset. "How do we know he's not just bluffing?"

"_He's not_," said Gintoki firmly. He finally turned around to give Katsura a serious stare. "Do you remember earlier, when he blocked me as I tried to leave the room?"

"Yes," said Katsura, sounding a little confused.

"When he did that, did you see him move?"

"Well, I-" Katsura suddenly paused. Now that he thought about it, he actually didn't remember seeing Kamui move at all. It was like he had just appeared in front of Gintoki. "Well, not exactly," he finally answered.

"Me neither," said Gintoki, looking straight at Katsura. "Do you understand? That was his _speed_. We couldn't even see him move. He's clearly on a level above our own."

"So then, how exactly are you going to beat him?" asked Katsura, looking concerned.

"I don't know," he replied somberly.

"Damn it, Gintoki," said Katsura, getting upset. "Look, if you can't take him by yourself, then let me help you out. We can fight him together. At least that way, we have a better chance of-"

"Hell no," Gintoki replied sternly. His face showed that he was completely serious. He almost looked angry. "I don't want anything changing Kamui's mind when it comes to the promises we made tonight. If you and me go in there, he'll immediately break the deal. Don't you see, Zura? Yoshiwara will only be at risk once again. I can't let that happen."

"Who cares!?" Katsura suddenly shouted at him. "Are you just going to lay down and die? You need my help! Let me fight alongside you!"

"No! Shut up!" Gintoki shouted back.

"Make me! I'm going to help you whether you like it or not!"

"DAMN IT KATSURA, DON'T YOU DARE!" Gintoki roared.

Katsura immediately went silent. Something unexpected had just happened: Gintoki had correctly called him by his full name. It didn't happen often, but Katsura knew that whenever it did happen, it meant that Gintoki was being completely serious with him.

"If you interfere at all, I'll kill you! You got that?" Gintoki then went up to Katsura and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

Katsura was surprised. Gintoki almost never acted like this, especially not towards him.

"Promise me you won't interfere!" Gintoki hissed.

Katsura gave him a scowl. "Fine," he said quietly. At this point, he knew better than to argue with Gintoki. It would only prove useless in this situation.

"Good," grunted Gintoki as he dropped Katsura to the ground. He then started walking off. "And don't tell anybody else about this either!" he demanded loudly. "Don't let the others know a single thing about what happened tonight! If you do, it will only make things worse for me."

"Hey, Gintoki!" Katsura called after him. "What's your plan? How are you going to deal with this?"

"Don't worry about it," Gintoki growled. "I'm going to handle this _by_ _myself_."

And with that, the silver-haired samurai disappeared into the streets of Yoshiwara…

_End of Flashback…_

* * *

**And thus, everything was explained! Mostly! Well, I do have a little bit more to do in the next chapter. Hopefully, this chapter provided you with some of the answers you were looking for. If not, then wait for the next one. More answers on the way! Yay!**

**As for this chapter, did I do a good job of explaining everything? Was it confusing at any point? Did it all make sense as you followed it? Let me know, I always feel nervous about this stuff. If you do have any questions, just ask me. I'll respond the best that I can.**

**Here, I'll go ahead and ask myself one of your questions so that you don't have to! Isn't that nice of me? Here it is:**

_**Author, how's come Katsura could hear Gintoki's thoughts in his flashback? How did he know what Gintoki was thinking and remembering?**_

**Ah, a good question, yes, yes…uh…well, he could hear Gintoki's thoughts because…uh…because…because it's Gintama! How about that? What? Of course it makes sense! Grrr, just stop asking questions already! Sheesh!**

**Well, that's all for now. As always, please leave a review with your thoughts and questions about the chapter. Also look forward to the next one! Thank you! Goodbye!**


	26. Book 2 - Chapter 12

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 12

Katsura closed his eyes and gave a sigh as he finished his story. He waited patiently for the information to fully sink in for the group across from him. Tsukuyo and Shinpachi were silent at first, while Kagura was soon flying into a fit of rage.

"Kamui!?" she yelled at the samurai in front of her. "Are you serious!? My idiot brother is the overlord of Yoshiwara!?"

"It would appear so," said Katsura calmly. "You know, I was not aware that you had a brother, Leader."

"Yeah, I have a brother!" Kagura shouted with anger. "He's a big idiot that likes to kill for fun! I can't believe that he's here!"

"I think I might have seen him once or twice before…" said Shinpachi, trying his best to remember.

"I remember him," said Tsukuyo quietly from the back. "It was back when Hosen was still overlord. I didn't see him a lot, but he came around the palace from time to time. I never knew much about him though."

Tsukuyo then placed a hand to her head. She looked upset with herself. "I can't believe how stupid I was. I completely fell for his disguise. I honestly should have been able to recognize him from the start. But no, instead, I accepted him just like everyone else. I'm the damn leader of the Hyakka! And I just let him walk right into our city! I can't believe this…"

"Don't worry, Tsukuyo-san," said Shinpachi, trying to cheer her up. "You said you didn't really know him that well, right? Nobody would have expected you to realize the truth."

"That idiot!" Kagura yelled once again. "He thinks he so clever with his stupid plan! If I had met up with him, I would have recognized him in a heartbeat! His entire plan would have fell apart right in front of him as I kicked his ass!"

Tsukuyo couldn't help but smile as she listened to the two of them. They each had their own unique way of making her feel better (even if Kagura wasn't necessarily trying to).

"Anyways, does this guy seriously want to fight with Gin-san?" asked Shinpachi, turning to Katsura.

"Yes, he seemed very excited about it," Katsura replied solemnly as he looked to the floor.

"How the hell did he even get the deed to Yoshiwara anyway!?" Kagura demanded loudly.

"Weren't you listening?" asked Katsura. "Apparently, he received it from his superiors. He's actually been in control of the city this entire time. He claimed that he just didn't do anything with it until now."

Kagura looked like she was going to yell something again, but Shinpachi quickly cut her off.

"This information shouldn't really be a surprise," he said with a frown. "Remember? We actually heard about all of this after Gin-san saved Yoshiwara. We knew that your brother was in charge of that place. A lot of people were worried about it at the time."

"It's true," said Tsukuyo, once again feeling ashamed of herself. "I do remember hearing all of that. I was originally cautious of this news, as I was worried for the future of our city. However, it would seem that as time passed, I started to forget about it. Somewhere along the way, I truly began to believe that Yoshiwara was a free city. I completely forgot about Kamui and his control."

"It's okay," said Shinpachi. "He went so long without touching the city. Anybody would have forgotten. We all did."

"Still," said Tsukuyo, looking upset, "I should've known that something was suspicious when a new overlord showed up on our front step. I should have remembered who the true overlord was behind that disguise. I should have realized it was Kamui. It's entirely my fault."

"No," said Kagura adamantly, turning to the courtesan. "It's all my idiot brother's fault. He's the one behind all of this. He deserves the blame for _everything_."

"But I still could have-"

"Tsukuyo-san," said Shinpachi sternly. "Just drop it."

"You're not the one at fault here, Tsukky."

"Well…alright, I guess," Tsukuyo finally agreed. She quietly looked to the floor. _They may try to convince me otherwise, but I still feel like I let the entire city down. It was my duty to look after it and protect it from threats like this. But it looks like I've completely failed this time around. I can't even protect Yoshiwara right now! In fact, the person who is protecting it is…_

Tsukuyo suddenly looked up. "Gintoki," she said. "What's Gintoki going to do?"

"Huh?" asked Katsura, who was caught off-guard by her question.

"Gintoki," she repeated. "You said you knew what Gintoki was up to, or at least, you said you might know. Please, share your thoughts with us. Why is Gintoki acting this way? What's he planning?"

Katsura stared at her for a moment before looking down again. "That's right," he said quietly. "I do have an idea of what Gintoki might be planning…but I don't think you're going to like it."

"We can handle it," said Shinpachi reassuringly.

"Just tell us," demanded Kagura.

"Very well then," said Katsura, still staring at the floor. "I believe that Gintoki is…is probably planning on sacrificing himself in his fight against Kamui."

"He is?" asked the two kids out of surprise. Tsukuyo remained silent.

"It's just a theory," Katsura continued, "but it would certainly explain a lot. You see, Gintoki thinks that the only way to save Yoshiwara right now is for him to fight with Kamui…which is probably true, but, at the same time, Gintoki also doubts his ability to win the fight. In other words, Gintoki plans on fighting with Kamui and inevitably losing just so that the city will be spared. He honestly has no intention of backing out and he also has no hopes of winning. He's just trying to do what he can to keep everyone safe."

Shinpachi and Kagura looked absolutely forlorn. They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

"Gin-san is…"

"…going to die?"

Katsura refused to look up. "It's only a guess, but it's the best one I've got. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"That still doesn't explain everything," said Tsukuyo from the back of the room. She was currently staring directly at Katsura. "Why is he acting like such a coldhearted bastard right now? Why did he do those awful things to us?"

Katsura looked up for a second before giving a sigh. "Once again, I can only guess," he explained tirelessly. "I think that the reason why he broke up with you and fired Shinpachi and Leader is because he doesn't want you guys getting involved."

"I don't understand," said Kagura, looking upset.

"What I mean is, Gintoki is trying to distance himself from you guys. He wants you to stay away and let him handle the situation on his own. He doesn't want you to go and save him from his doom. I think that he was doing his best to keep you guys out of this mess. He just wanted to keep you safe, even if it meant hurting you. Do you understand?"

The group was silent for a while.

"So, Gin-san is just trying to protect us?" asked Shinpachi.

"By…by dying?" asked Kagura, looking scared.

"Probably," said Katsura, staring off to the side. "Who knows? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that was just his awkward way of saying goodbye."

The group went silent once again. Nobody really knew what to say, until…

"So it was all just an act then?"

Everybody turned to towards the back of the room to find Tsukuyo standing with her arms crossed. She was anxiously awaiting an answer.

"Well, it's the only thing that makes sense, I suppose," Katsura mumbled.

Tsukuyo suddenly started looking hopeful. "So then, he didn't really…?"

Katsura gave her a small look of confusion, but it seemed like she had already reached her own conclusion.

Tsukuyo gave a small sigh of relief. "Oh, good," she said with a smile. "I was really worried there. I thought that he might have…actually meant what he said to me last night. But, if it was all just an act, then that means…that means…"

Her voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "That means we might still be together?"

Katsura wasn't quite sure what to say. "Er, well…it's a possibility, I guess…"

"And we're not really fired either?" asked Shinpachi and Kagura eagerly.

"Well, I don't think so," said Katsura awkwardly, "but it doesn't really matter does it? I mean, Gintoki is still planning on sacrificing himself. Even if he was only putting on a facade, he still doesn't want you interfering with this fight. He did those things so that you would stay away. You do understand this, don't you?"

"Yes, we understand perfectly," said Tsukuyo as she started walking up to the Joi rebel. She stopped once she was right in front of him and then did something unexpected. She crouched down and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for the information, Katsura," she said with a smile. She then stood up straight before walking away. She stopped once again in front of Shinpachi and Kagura. "Are you guys ready to go?"

"Yeah," they replied.

"Hey, wait a second!" Katsura called as he struggled to stand up. It seemed that Tsukuyo's small kiss had thrown him off a little. "Where are you guys planning on going?" he demanded.

In response, the group just looked back at him with blank stares.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Kagura. "We're going to get that idiot back."

"You mean Gintoki?" shouted Katsura, looking frantic. "But you can't! Weren't you just listening to what I said!?

"We don't really care," said Kagura as she picked her nose.

"What!?"

"What she means is, it doesn't really matter," explained Shinpachi. "Gin-san is someone who is very special to us. Whether he likes it or not, we're not just going to let him die. How could we ever live with ourselves?"

"Besides," said Tsukuyo, "I have a bone to pick with that bastard. He's not going to be getting away that easily."

"Yeah, there's some stuff he needs to answer for," agreed Kagura.

"We can't just let it end like this," said Shinpachi.

"We're going to save Gintoki," said Tsukuyo firmly. "That's final."

Katsura was speechless. Even after everything he had told them, they were still set on saving that silver-haired samurai. At that moment, he realized that the bonds held between that group and Gintoki were truly something meaningful.

Katsura eventually decided to speak up. "Are you all sure about this? You do realize that you'll be putting Gintoki's deal with Kamui at risk? You will all be in danger if that kid decides to take back his word…"

"It doesn't matter," said Tsukuyo adamantly. "Nothing will change our minds. We're going to get Gintoki. We will not let him kill himself for our sake."

"What are you going to do about Kamui then?"

"I'm not sure," she replied honestly. "We'll figure that out after Gintoki is safe. Once we are all back together, we should be able to come up with something. We'll all make it out of this okay, no matter what."

Katsura suddenly bowed his head so that the others could not see his face. "Is that so? Well then, in that case…" Katsura then lifted up his head to show them a determined smile. "Is there room for one more?"

The group looked surprised to hear this.

"Katsura-san, are you-?"

"I'm coming with you," he declared vigorously. "That is, if you will let me…"

Tsukuyo gave him a small smile. "Of course, any help is welcome."

Katsura then crossed his arms as he continued grinning. "If you're all going to throw Gintoki's precious plan out the window, then I might as well come along. There's really no point in me just sitting around, is there?"

"Not really," replied Kagura with a small smile.

"Well good," said Tsukuyo, suddenly getting serious. "If that's all settled, then we should hurry up and get going. Who knows how much time we have left?"

"Good point," agreed Katsura. "Just give me a minute to get ready. We'll be on our way in just a moment."

Katsura rapidly walked past the group and exited the room. They soon followed him out into the hallway and down to another door. He immediately slid it open, revealing his companion Elizabeth among several of the other Joi patriots in a small room.

"Hey, Elizabeth," he called out as he ran inside. "I've decided to go help save Gintoki in Yoshiwara. You're in charge while I'm gone. Look after the place; I'll be back as soon as I can."

In response, the strange bird-like creature simply held up a sign which read, 'Understood, be careful.'

"I will," Katsura replied with a nod. He quickly grabbed two swords that were leaning against the wall before heading back to the doorway. He immediately handed one to Shinpachi. "Here, you'll need this," he insisted.

"Um, thanks," said Shinpachi, suddenly realizing that he was the only one without a weapon.

Katsura then gave a small wave as he left the room. "See you later!" he called to his men.

Before long, the group was now outside of the hideout and they were quickly making their way back to Yoshiwara.

"How much time do you think we have?" Tsukuyo asked as they ran.

"I'm not sure," replied Katsura. "Gintoki said that he would need a few days to prepare, but he said that a few days ago. I believe they were planning on fighting the moment Gintoki showed up at the palace."

Kagura soon noticed the problem at hand. "But that could happen-"

"At any time, yes," Katsura finished for her. "For all we know, they could be fighting right this second."

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth as they ran. "Shit! We have to hurry!"

* * *

Gintoki remained silent as he was led throughout the palace of Yoshiwara by one of Kamui's guards. His face carried an uninterested expression. He almost looked like he was bored, but he knew that this feeling would not last long. It was finally time. He had recently managed to set all of his affairs in order. He no longer had anything to hold him back. He was ready to fight with Kamui…

Gintoki followed the guard through a pair of large doors that led to the grand hall of the palace. It was the same room where Kamui had revealed his true identity to the samurai just a few nights before. Inside the room, many guards were standing along the walls and some were even up on the balconies that rested above.

Kamui himself could be seen sitting comfortably on the back of the majestic rabbit statue. Gintoki quickly noticed that the boy's hair was back to its usual vermillion color, and his normal fighting outfit had replaced his expensive robes. He now looked the exact same as when Gintoki had first met him. An umbrella rested in one of his hands and he had a small grin planted on his face.

"Well, look who's here," he said playfully.

"That's right, I'm here," replied Gintoki tonelessly. He was simply staring up at Kamui with his uncaring dead fish eyes.

"It's about damn time," muttered Abuto, who stood off to the side. "The captain made us all wait in here until you showed up. It's been incredibly boring…"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Gintoki, even though he honestly didn't look like he was sorry.

"Oh, it's been no trouble," said Kamui, still smiling. "My men just need to have a little more patience. They don't quite understand the excitement of waiting for a powerful foe to show up."

"Whatever," Gintoki sighed. "Can we just get this over with already? I'm finally here and I'm ready to fight."

Kamui suddenly lifted up a finger. "Hold on second," he said, looking concerned. "I trust that you remember the conditions I set?"

Gintoki gave him a small look of confusion before nodding.

"Right then, let's size you up!" said Kamui as he hopped off the statue. He gracefully landed on his feet before walking up to the samurai. "Let's see…" he said quietly.

Kamui was now scanning Gintoki from head to toe. His eyes suddenly stopped at the samurai's waist. "Is that the weapon you'll be using?"

Gintoki looked down. Kamui was currently pointing at the black sword that rested on his side. It was the very same one that Katsura had given him a few days before. Even though he had stopped by his home in Kabukicho, he had ultimately decided to keep the metal sword instead of switching it out with his wooden one. He figured it might hold out better in a fight against a Yato.

"Yes," Gintoki finally answered.

"I see, I see, _excellent_," said Kamui, his eyes going wide with excitement. "I should hope it proves its usefulness."

Gintoki remained silent.

Kamui's eyes soon started scanning the samurai again. He eventually stopped once he reached Gintoki's face. "Hmm…" he said with a frown.

"What's wrong?" asked Gintoki.

"You don't look so well," said Kamui, sounding disappointed.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I feel fine!"

"Your eyes say differently. You look tired. I wonder…have you been through a lot these last few days? Have they been rough on you?"

"That's none of your business," said Gintoki with a glare.

"Don't worry," said Kamui with a laugh, "I won't pry."

Kamui then walked away before turning around again. "However, the fact still remains that you can't fulfill my requirements. You promised to fight me at you absolute best, remember?"

Gintoki suddenly looked worried. "So what if I'm a little tired? Are you going to go back on your word?"

"Heh, relax," said Kamui with another laugh. "We will simply postpone the fight a little longer. Why don't you go ahead and get some sleep? You know, just take some time to calm down and get some rest."

"You want me to take a nap?" asked Gintoki, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"Yeah, we'll get a room ready for you. You can recover some sleep there before we fight."

Gintoki gave a sigh. "Can't we just fight right now and get it over with?"

"Absolutely not," said Kamui seriously. "You have to be at 100% when we go at it. No exceptions. Now go ahead and get some rest. We'll wait to start the fight until tonight, at midnight. Does that sound okay to you?"

"Yeah, whatever," Gintoki mumbled as he looked away. He didn't really want to put the fight off any longer, but it seemed like he just didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Alright then," said Kamui with a pleasant smile. "I'll have one of my men show you the way. Just remember to come back here at midnight."

"I will…" Gintoki groaned.

"Hey you," said Kamui, suddenly pointing to a guard. "Go show our guest to one of our spare bedrooms, would you?"

"Yes captain," replied the selected guard. He motioned for Gintoki to follow him before he exited the room.

"Sweet dreams, Gintoki," said Kamui with a small wave.

Gintoki just ignored him as he left. _That crazy brat _he thought. _This is stupid. I feel like I'm a little kid being put down for a nap. I don't even want to go to sleep! I just want to fight him already so it can be done with! I mean, come on, I'm not even allowed to die when I want to die! They're making me wait! Ugh, this is so stupid…_

"Here we are," said the guard once they reached the room. It was simple, just a futon mat among some other things. There was also a small window that looked out over Yoshiwara.

"Get some sleep," ordered the guard as Gintoki stepped in. "After all, the captain's not going to go easy on you," he said with a creepy smile.

And with that, the guard shut the door, leaving Gintoki alone in the dimly lit room. He casually walked over to the window and looked up at the sky. It was still very dark and full of clouds. Gintoki just frowned as he turned away and removed the sword from his waist. He then silently crawled onto the futon.

_I might as well get some sleep. It's not like there's anything better to do…_

Gintoki did his best to get comfortable before shutting his eyes. He tried not to stir his mind with any thinking, but he had a hard time with it. In the end, just one thought crept into his head before he drifted off to sleep.

_I wonder what the others are up to? I…I hope they're all safe…wherever they are…_

* * *

**And with that, most if not all of your questions should be answered. Phew…it's about time. I mean, it seemed like all I did was raise questions for the longest time. It feels good to finally answer them. Let me know if you still have any remaining questions though! I'm always ready to answer them!**

**As for the story, it's time to get serious. There's going to be some fights in the upcoming chapters…um…I've never written a fight before, so go easy on me XD Ha, it seems like that's what all fanfiction authors say when they write fights. Now I'm one of them! -.-'**

**But yeah, the story will get some action. Let's hope I do well with it! I don't usually feel like I'm good at explaining things…so we'll see how it goes. I'm mostly going to be making it up on the spot too. Oh dear…I'm seriously convincing myself it's going to be really bad XD**

**No worries! I'll figure something out. I think the next chapter might be a long one. We'll see if I can squeeze everything I want to into it. Look forward to it! As for this chapter, please leave a review with your thoughts! It's always appreciated and very motivating for me! Thank you, goodbye!**


	27. Book 2 - Chapter 13

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 13

Evening had fallen, and the sky still remained as dark and cloudy as it had been throughout the day. The entire city of Yoshiwara was now brightly lit as if night had already arrived. Within the city, four people were currently hiding in the darkness of an empty street. They were all gazing up at the nearby palace without saying a word.

After a while, Kagura spoke up. "So what's the plan?"

"Well," said Tsukuyo, turning to face the others, "basically, we need to get in there, find Gintoki, grab him, and get out."

"That sounds simple enough," said Shinpachi.

"Let's start with getting in," said Katsura quietly. "Kamui's guards are very alert. We will probably have a hard time sneaking in without them noticing us."

"Let's just go in the front door," suggested Kagura.

"What?" shouted Shinpachi. "We can't do that! They'll immediately catch us as soon as we walk in!"

"I think it's safe to say that they'll notice us if we do something like that," said Katsura, trying to patiently explain the problem to the young girl.

"Not if they're distracted," replied Kagura.

"What do you mean?" asked Tsukuyo, wondering what the girl had in mind.

"If one of us goes in there and causes a big commotion, they probably won't notice if somebody else sneaks in after that."

Everyone's eyes went wide when they heard this plan. Kagura was apparently smarter then she looked.

"That's…not bad, actually," said Shinpachi.

"I see," said Katsura. "So you're suggesting a two group plan? One group will get the guards' attention while the other group sneaks off to find Gintoki?"

"Yep," Kagura replied modestly.

"I like it," said Tsukuyo with a smile. "I think that approach will work well."

"Let's go with it then," decided Katsura. "But first, we need to figure out which of us will be doing what. For starters, do any of you know your way around the palace?"

Shinpachi and Kagura shook their heads, while Tsukuyo gave a small nod.

"I used to work in and around the palace, so I know it pretty well for the most part. I shouldn't have any trouble navigating around once we're inside."

"Excellent," said Katsura, looking pleased. "In that case, we'll put you in charge of the group that looks for Gintoki. After all, you'll be our best shot at finding him once we're in there."

Tsukuyo simply nodded in agreement. She then gave a small smile, secretly acknowledging that she was happy that she had been chosen to go looking for Gintoki. Even though she didn't show it, she was actually desperately hoping to meet up with him again. There were some things that they needed to discuss once everything was taken care of…

"In that case," said Kagura, lifting up her umbrella, "I'll be the distraction."

Katsura glanced at her. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's what I'm best at," said Kagura casually. "I'm pretty good at making some noise when I need to. I'll definitely make sure that everyone's attention is on me."

"Very well then," agreed Katsura. "You can be the distraction, Leader."

"I'm going with her," said Shinpachi sternly.

"Wait, what?" asked Kagura out of surprise.

"I'll be the distraction with you," he repeated.

"No way!" Kagura suddenly yelled. "You'll just get in the way and slow me down! I'll just go alone, okay?"

"But you can't just go alone!" Shinpachi replied. "It's too dangerous and risky! It's better if you have someone go with you, just to look out for you-"

"No! I'll be fine by myself! I can-"

"Kagura, that's enough," said Tsukuyo in a serious tone. "Shinpachi is right; being the distraction will be dangerous. I think it will be for the best if you take some help."

"You can watch each other's backs," added Katsura. "If worse comes to worse, you'll at least have someone there to help you."

"Please Kagura-chan," Shinpachi begged. "I won't be a burden. I promise."

Kagura glared at him for a second before looking away. "Fine," she agreed. "But know this, if something bad happens to you in there, I'm going to kick your ass. You got that?"

Shinpachi could only smile back at her. "Got it."

"I guess that leaves you and me then," said Katsura, turning to Tsukuyo. "We'll be the ones going after Gintoki."

"Sounds good," said Tsukuyo with a nod. She was glad that she would be having someone as capable as Katsura going along with her. It would definitely make things a lot easier.

"So it's all settled then," said Katsura, turning to each of them. "Leader and Shinpachi will go in first and run around while causing an uproar. After that, Tsukuyo and I will sneak in and start looking for our silver-haired friend. Once we have him, we'll all get out as quickly as possible."

"Listen everyone," said Tsukuyo, grabbing their attention. "It's going to be dangerous once we're inside, so be careful, alright? Let's make a promise that whatever happens, we'll all come out of this alive. I don't want anyone losing their lives over something like this. That's not what Gintoki would want…"

Before long, Katsura also spoke up. "While we're at it, I think we should also promise to stay away from Kamui once we're inside. He's too dangerous, and I don't trust him. You never know what he might pull after we've infiltrated his home. We should only focus on finding Gintoki. Do you all agree?"

The group was silent for a while, before they each gave a small nod. "It's a promise," said all of them at once. The men grabbed their swords; Kagura grabbed her umbrella.

"Alright then, '_Team Go Save Our Idiot_', let's move out," said Tsukuyo, leading the way to the palace. "And remember, no matter what happens, try to avoid Kamui, and come out alive…"

* * *

Shinpachi and Kagura casually walked up to the front door of the palace. It was currently unguarded, so the two of them wouldn't have to worry about doing any fighting yet. Apparently, they could just walk in at their leisure.

Once they were in front of the door, Shinpachi gently grabbed Kagura by the arm. "Hey, Kagura-chan," he quietly called to her.

"What's up?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Before we go in there, I need to tell you something. It's about your brother."

Kagura's expression soured. "Yeah?"

Shinpachi gave a small sigh. "Look, I know that we all made a promise back there not to go after him, but I need to make sure that you're on board with that. I know that you hold some sort of grudge against him, but you just can't go after him on your own. It's way too risky. Do you understand?"

Now it was Kagura's turn to give a sigh. "Yes, I already knew all that. I know that our goal is to go after Gin-chan, not my stupid brother. I may want to kick his ass and all that, but I won't do anything that you guys don't want me to. Besides, I made a promise, didn't I?"

Shinpachi just gave a small smile. "Yes, you did. I was just making sure that you wouldn't do anything reckless."

"Don't waste your time," said Kagura in a cool voice. "I'm always reckless."

"That's all too true," said Shinpachi as he shook his head. "Well then, I suppose we should go ahead and get in there. Do you think that the door is locked?"

"Does it matter?" replied Kagura as she started pulling back one of her legs.

"No, I suppose not. Go ahead then."

With one swift movement, Kagura landed a powerful kick on the front door. The force of the impact immediately shattered the door into several large pieces of splintered wood. The pieces were soon scattered across the floor of the main hall. Several guards that could be seen standing within the room all looked to the entrance out of surprise.

"WE'RE HERE!" Kagura screamed at the top of her lungs. She lifted her umbrella up so that it came to rest on her shoulder.

"We should really get a move on. They'll be on top of us any second now," said Shinpachi, looking around cautiously.

"Intruders!" cried one of the guards. "Quickly, capture them!"

The rest of the guards immediately sprang to action. They all pounced for the duo standing in the doorway, but they were quickly defeated. Kagura had knocked them all aside with just a few swipes of her umbrella.

"Let's go, Shinpachi!" she cried as she ran into the palace.

"Right!" he yelled as he followed behind.

"Hey! Where are they going?" yelled one of the guards.

"Don't let them escape!" yelled another. "We can't have them running around in here while the captain's fight is taking place!"

Kagura and Shinpachi were soon climbing the stairs in the middle of the room. Kagura was easily clearing a path through the men while they desperately tried to stop her. One of them came at her with a strong punch, but she swiftly dodged, right before giving him a sharp kick over the railing.

"Is that the best you've got!?" she taunted as she sent body after body flying. She almost seemed like she was enjoying herself.

Then, something unexpected happened. It seemed like the guards were starting to grow wise. One of them jumped straight from the first floor and over the railing, flying directly at Kagura from her left side with his hands ready to claw her open. She had not been expecting them to attack from the sides, but she still managed to notice the attack and block it with her umbrella before it was too late. However, at that same instant, another guard pounced over the other side of the stairs, flying straight at Kagura with a clenched fist. This time, she was barely able to notice him before she caught the punch with her free hand and lifted one leg up to his torso in order to keep him at a distance.

At that moment, Kagura realized what an awful position she was in. She was standing on one leg while fending off attacks from both sides with no arms free to defend herself. She was completely open. One of the guards from below immediately noticed this and took his opportunity to strike. He flew over the stairs with one great leap, coming at Kagura from behind. She turned her head back just in time to see the excited smile on the Yato's face.

_Shit! This is it!_

But it wasn't. At the last second, Shinpachi jumped in from the side and slashed the man across the stomach. He instantly fell to the floor with a shocked look on his face. It seemed that with all of the chaos that Kagura had been causing, nobody had paid any heed to the scrawny glasses-wearing boy behind her.

Shinpachi quickly turned to Kagura and gave her a cocky smile which said, 'See? I'm not as useless as you thought.'

Kagura just returned the smile as she came up with a plan to free herself. Without a second thought, she withdrew her umbrella from the man on her left and planted its front next to her leg on the other one's torso. Using the strength of both arms and her right leg, she forced the attacker to the ground, planting his body firmly underneath her foot. She then quickly shifted all of her weight onto that leg, leaving her left one free. She swiftly retracted it before fully extending it right into the gut of the other assaulter. He soon fell to the floor without a sound.

"All too easy," said Kagura, triumphantly standing over them.

"Good job, let's keep moving!" Shinpachi shouted, as he ran up the stairs.

"Right," she replied, focusing once again.

"After them!" the guards continued to shout. "Don't let them escape!"

Meanwhile, Tsukuyo and Katsura darted through the front door and quickly slid off to the side. Tsukuyo was soon leading the way down a hall while Katsura made sure that they weren't being followed.

"Heh, those kids are better than we thought," he said with a grin. "Not a single guard noticed us slip in."

"They're good at getting people's attention alright," Tsukuyo agreed. "Let's just hope that they stay safe."

"They'll be fine as long as they have each other. We should just focus on finding Gintoki so we can hurry up and get out of here."

"Right," said Tsukuyo with a nod. She quietly went back to concentrating on the mission at hand.

_Gintoki…we're coming…_

* * *

Gintoki awoke with a start. He looked from side to side to find that he was still in the same room where he had fallen asleep a few hours before. He quietly stood up and started stretching when a curious noise caught his attention. It sounded like a stampede, and it was coming from the hallway.

Becoming alert, Gintoki grabbed his sword and approached the door. He slowly slid it open and poked his head out to see what all the commotion was about. He was surprised to find that there were several guards running past him. They were all sprinting down the hallway like they were in some kind of big hurry.

_What the hell is going on? _he thought as he watched the scene before him. _Where are all the guards running off to? What could have them all so worked up?_

As Gintoki continued watching, he suddenly noticed Abuto barreling down the hallway after the others. He quickly stepped out into the hall and caught his attention. "Hey, you!" he yelled.

Abuto stopped right in front of the samurai. "Huh? What is it?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"You're Kamui's assistant, right? Tell me what the hell is going on. Why are you all running down the hallway in such a frenzy?"

"Well, first off, I'm not his _assistant_," said Abuto with a glare. "That was just a disguise, and a rather humiliating one at that. As for your question, it would appear that we have some intruders within the palace."

Gintoki froze. "I-Intruders?" he stuttered.

"Yes, apparently, they just broke in through the front door and now they're running amuck throughout the palace."

"Seriously?" asked Gintoki, slowly becoming concerned.

"Yes, but don't worry, we're taking care of it," said Abuto reassuringly. "We're sending all of our guards after them right now. We'll manage to capture them eventually."

Gintoki looked to the floor. "I see."

"As for you," said Abuto, talking in a strict tone, "you are to remain here until the intruders are taken care of. You are completely forbidden to go after them, because, you see, the intruders could be rather dangerous. If you ended up getting injured by them, it could interfere in your fight with the captain. We must do our best to ensure that you stay in top shape. Got it?"

Gintoki paused before he answered. "I understand," he said.

"Good," said Abuto, looking pleased with his answer. "I'm heading off now. You just stay here and wait until it's time for your fight. After all, we don't want to disappoint the captain now do we? If we did, he might just lose his temper and end up killing us all."

Gintoki looked sickened upon hearing this, but Abuto just gave a laugh like the whole thing was a joke. He then ran off without another word, leaving the samurai alone.

Gintoki just stared at the floor as he thought about everything that the man had told him. _Intruders huh? Who would invade the palace at a time like this? It couldn't be them…could it? Would those idiots really come looking for me if they knew the truth?_

Gintoki then glanced down the hall. _Shit, if it really is them, then my deal with Kamui might get screwed up! Grrr, I know I'm supposed to stay here, but I can't just do that when I know that there's a possibility that the others are looking for me!_

Gintoki then started running in the opposite direction of the guards. _I need to find out if it's really them. And if it is, I need to know if our deal still holds up._

_I need to talk to Kamui…_

* * *

Shinpachi and Kagura were sprinting down the halls as fast as they could. The Yato guards that they had met at the front door were still chasing after them, only a few steps behind. The two kids had no idea where they were going, but it didn't really matter. All they had to do was keep the guards' attention while Tsukuyo and Katsura went looking for Gintoki.

"This is going smoothly!" Shinpachi shouted between breaths.

"Yeah, it looks like they're desperate to catch us!" Kagura shouted back.

"Ha," Shinpachi laughed as they turned a corner. "Well then, let's not give them the satisfaction-"

His voice dropped off as the two of them came to a halt in the middle of the new hallway. Standing at the end of it, faces grinning, was a large group of Yato guards.

"Shit!" Kagura yelled. "We have to turn back-"

But it was too late; the group that had been chasing behind them now blocked the other end of the hall. Shinpachi and Kagura were officially trapped. Their only available exits were completely filled with Yato. It appeared that escape was no longer an option.

Shinpachi lifted his sword warily at the group behind them. "Kagura-chan, what do we do?" he asked desperately.

"Hmph," she mumbled, raising her umbrella. "Looks like we've got no choice. We're just going to have to fight our way out."

"Wait, seriously?" asked Shinpachi as he carefully watched the group for any sign of danger.

Kagura retraced her steps until her back was touching his. "It's the only way," she said calmly. "Listen, you watch my back and I'll watch yours. We'll get through this."

Shinpachi felt an overwhelming sense of doubt welling up inside of him. "Um, Kagura-chan?" he asked quietly. "I'm not sure I can take an entire group of Yato by myself…"

In response, Kagura just spat off to the side. "Seriously? What about all that crap you were spouting earlier about not being a burden? You better not have been lying to me, because if you were, I'm going to have to kick your ass. You got that?"

"I'm not exactly sure I'll have an ass left after this…" Shinpachi muttered with a small tremble.

Kagura just gave a sigh. "Ugh, fine, I'll help you out if you're in trouble, okay?"

"Please do," he begged.

Meanwhile, the Yato guards had been having a private conversation of their own.

"We've finally cornered them. Now what do we do?"

"Should we kill them?"

"No, we should probably just detain them. I'd bet the captain might want to question them."

"In that case, try to capture them…but if you accidently happen to kill them, _oh well_…"

The guards all gave a big laugh at this. Kagura and Shinpachi immediately took their stances in defense. The hallway went completely silent for a moment, and then it started.

Three of the guards on Shinpachi's side leapt towards him as he instinctively positioned his sword horizontally. With his other arm, he supported the back of the blade and was able to block all three blows aimed at him. However, the force of the attacks had been too much for him, and he had been pushed up tightly against Kagura. Her body had actually been the only thing keeping him from flying down the hall.

As the guards retracted their fists, Shinpachi quickly flipped the end of the blade to the other side and grabbed the hilt with both hands. He then put all of his strength into a horizontal slice. Two of the guards evaded while the last one received a cut across his chest. The remaining two did not hesitate to come at him again as more guards advanced from down the hall.

Meanwhile, Kagura was having an intense fight of her own. She had been firing several rounds of bullets out of her umbrella as the guards ran at her. Many of them fell, but many of them also dodged. Eventually one of them drew near enough to grab the end of Kagura's umbrella. He forced its aim off to the side while another Yato made his move. She managed to easily kick him away as she gave a violent jerk of her umbrella arm. The Yato that held onto it firmly grasped it with two hands in an effort to keep it still.

But Kagura would not have it. She continued to shake the umbrella back and forth as guard after guard rushed at her. She managed to defend herself with her free arm and legs, but she was starting to grow frustrated.

"DAMN IT, GET OFF!" she screamed as the Yato clung to the umbrella for dear life. His feet were now off the ground and Kagura was wildly waving the weapon back and forth.

On the other side, Shinpachi was struggling. He had strategically managed to defeat the other two guards from before, but five more had come to take their place. The boy was soon being surrounded from all sides. He could hardly keep up his defense any longer.

Out of desperation, he cried out. "Kagura-chan! Help!"

Her response came quickly. "Shinpachi, DUCK!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He immediately crouched down into a ball on the floor. In the next instant, Kagura grabbed her umbrella with both hands, and gave a massive circular swing. The Yato that had been clinging on had released his grasp as he was slammed into at least ten other men that had been surrounding the duo. Every guard that had been hit was soon resting on the floor.

Shinpachi, seeing the surprised look on the other guards' faces, took his opportunity to strike. He got to his feet, took a confident step forward, and swung his sword in a huge arc. Four of the guards fell to his attack.

Meanwhile, Kagura's side was quickly thinning out as she knocked each guard aside with ease. With every swing of her umbrella, at least one to two of her enemies joined those on the floor. After a while, only five guards were left remaining on Kagura's side, and they were completely spread out…

"Shinpachi!" Kagura called out. "I'm going to finish this side off! Can you hold your own for a second?"

"Just leave it to me!" he yelled confidently as he sliced another guard in front of him.

"Right, here goes." Kagura ran at a full sprint and smashed the first guard into the wall with her umbrella. She kicked the second one into the opposite wall. She then jumped over the third one as she knocked him to the floor with her fist. Upon landing, she rolled to the fourth one where she swept his legs out from underneath him. She managed to grab his flailing body with one hand before hurling him at the final guard. The fifth guard knocked the body aside only to find Kagura charging from right behind it. With one final punch she sent him flying all the way to the end of the hall with a loud crash.

"Finished," she whispered triumphantly. She then turned around to check on her friend. She did not like what she saw.

There must have been at least twenty guards left on his side, and the ones that stood at the front were once again surrounding Shinpachi. He was barely able to dodge the attacks that were coming at him before even more attacks followed. He looked like he was in a desperate situation.

"Ah! Shinpachi!" Kagura screamed as she bolted for him. _Shit! I left him alone for too long!_

One of the guards knocked Shinpachi's sword to the side as another one pulled back his fist.

"NO!" Kagura shrieked. She was running as fast as she could.

The guard punched Shinpachi right in the stomach. He instantly coughed up blood.

"SHINPACHI!"

Kagura arrived on the scene and broke the guard's arm in a fraction of a second. She then kicked the other one's head straight into a wall, where it became stuck.

"K-Kagura-chan," Shinpachi coughed.

"Just get out of here!" she shouted at him. "I'll handle the rest myself!"

Shinpachi grabbed his sword and managed to stand up. "W-Wait, what are you doing?"

"Just go!" Without a second thought, Kagura jumped into the middle of the remaining guards.

"Kagura-chan!" Shinpachi screamed out of worry. He could no longer see what was happening, but he heard a lot of punching and grunting, until eventually, he heard a loud scream.

"I've got her!" one of the guards bellowed. "She's pinned to the ground!"

"Forget capturing her!" yelled another. "She's too dangerous! Just finish her off!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," replied the first guard, sounding eager.

"Kagura-chan!" Shinpachi screamed as he recklessly charged the group before him. He was swinging his sword wildly, doing his best to hit everything in front of him. Blood was flying everywhere.

At that point, Kagura managed to wrestle the Yato guard off of her while Shinpachi's surprise attack distracted him. She grabbed her umbrella and also started swinging wildly.

"Shinpachi!" she called out to him. "Don't stop! Don't stop until they're all down!"

"I won't!" he replied with clenched teeth.

Guard after guard fell before the two of them as they just kept on swinging and swinging and swinging…

* * *

Shinpachi and Kagura were both crouching down, panting heavily. The hallway was scattered with what must have been at least fifty Yato guards. As for the two of them, they had some minor bruises here and there, but they were mostly fine.

"We finally did it," Shinpachi mumbled as he put a hand to his stomach. That spot was still aching from the punch he had taken earlier.

"Are you alright?" asked Kagura between breaths. "I saw you coughing up blood…"

"Yeah, it's nothing too bad," he replied. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," said Kagura, standing up straight and looking around. "It looks like we took care of just about every guard this place had to offer."

Shinpachi was quiet for a moment before he looked up at her. "Hey, Kagura-chan, I'm sorry. It looks like I just ended up being a burden to you after all."

Kagura just stared at him for a second before sighing. "Aw, don't worry about it, the important thing is that we're both still alive. Just don't let something like this ever happen again."

She soon started walking away before adding one last comment.

"Otherwise, I'm going to have to kick your ass. You got that?"

Shinpachi could only smile as he started following after her. "Got it."

* * *

**Damn, I'm happy with how this chapter turned out. The story made some good progress, and the action ended up being…better than I expected XD I liked what I came up with. Of course, you guys will have to tell me what you thought about it. After all, my opinion doesn't always matter when it comes to this stuff XD**

**It seems like this chapter ended up focusing a lot on Shinpachi and Kagura. Weird, considering this is mainly a Gintsu story. Oh well, I gave their characters some shine. Everyone needs a good dusting off every once in a while, don't you think? I want to give more characters some shine moving forward. I'll see what I can do in future books.**

**By the way, I fear that I might have ended up making it look like I was shipping Shinpachi x Kagura…which was actually **_**not**_** my intention XD I suppose I should make this clear, they're just friends in my story. **_**Just **_**friend**_**s**_**. I have no desire to put them together. Not that they can't be together, I just always saw them as having a brother/sister kind of relationship. The Yorozuya is like a family, after all.**

**Anyways, those are just my thoughts on the chapter XD Let me know your thoughts and opinions in a review! I'd really appreciate it! In the next chapter, I'll be focusing more on Tsukuyo and Katsura! Please look forward to it! See you all then!**


	28. Book 2 - Chapter 14

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 14

Gintoki ran down the halls as fast as he could. Even though he had been ordered to stay put in the bedroom that had been provided for him, he just couldn't do it. He was way too worried. After all, his friends might have just put themselves in some serious danger for his sake, and that was honestly the last thing he wanted.

_I think it's somewhere around here_ he thought as he turned a corner. He was currently looking for Kamui in the hopes of getting some answers. Did his friends actually invade the palace? Did their deal still hold up if they did?

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he came upon a familiar pair of large doors. "Please still be in here," he mumbled as he pushed the doors open.

To his delight, Kamui was still in the grand hall. He was silently sitting on the floor in front of the rabbit statue. A large smile was planted on his face.

Gintoki gave a small sigh of relief as he ran up to him. "Hey, Kamui-"

"Gintoki!" exclaimed the boy. "Back so soon? Hmm, I can see that you got some rest and are actually looking much better. But, I must say, you are here a lot earlier than I was expecting."

"Yeah, yeah, I took a nap and now I feel better," said Gintoki, hurriedly waving his hand back and forth. "But I'm not here to fight you yet, I actually need to talk to you about something," he said sternly.

"Oh?" said Kamui, looking curious. "And what would that be?"

"By any chance, are you aware that there are some intruders within the palace right now?"

"Yes, Abuto informed me of them only a short while ago."

Gintoki wasn't quite sure, but he almost thought he had seen Kamui's smile grow larger. "Yeah, well, I was just wondering if you could tell me if-"

"If the intruders are actually your friends?" Kamui finished for him. His smile was now starting to look malicious. "Believe it or not, the report I received actually told me a lot about these intruders, and yes, I can confirm that they are indeed your friends."

Gintoki clenched his teeth. _Damn it, so it is them after all! But still, why are they here? What exactly do they think they're doing? Did they somehow find out the truth?_

"Apparently," Kamui continued, "there are four intruders in total. One of them is that good-for-nothing sister of mine. The second one is a teenage boy with glasses, who I am not very familiar with. The third one is that long-haired fellow that helped you sneak into the palace the other day. And finally, there is the most important one, _your girlfriend_."

_Kagura, Shinpachi, Zura, and…_

Gintoki paused for a moment.

…_Tsukuyo…_

"It would seem that they are all rather crafty when they work together," said Kamui, sounding as if he was being entertained by all of this. "They supposedly split into two groups. One group is grabbing the guards' attention while the other group is sneaking around undetected. Or at least, they believe that they are undetected. The truth is, some of my men discovered them without being noticed and Abuto assured me that he would take care of them. Something tells me that they were probably looking for you."

Gintoki was completely lost in thought. _They came here for me? Why? Don't they understand what I'm trying to do? How did they even find out about all of this anyway?_

Gintoki paused before narrowing his eyes. _Damn it Zura, it was you wasn't it? Didn't I tell you to keep quiet about this? Look at this mess that I have to deal with now!_

"They must really care a lot about you if they came all the way here," said Kamui, still smiling. "Hell, they're even opposing _me _just so they can get you back. You must mean a lot to them, eh?"

Gintoki clenched his teeth again before slowly bowing his head. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Hmm?" asked Kamui curiously.

"I'm sorry for my friends and their actions. I had no idea that they were planning on breaking into this place. If I had, I would have quickly put a stop to it. Please believe me, I honestly didn't want anything to interrupt our fight, and I didn't want my friends coming here to save me either."

Gintoki then looked up to the young Yato. "However, despite all of this, will you still promise to keep your end of the deal? I truly am sorry and I don't want either of us to have to go back on our word."

Kamui stared at him for a second before giving a small laugh. "Don't worry, I won't break my deal because of the unexpected actions of your friends. I still intend to fight you and I plan on following through with the conditions that we set."

Gintoki found himself feeling incredibly relieved. He had been seriously worried that Kamui would break their deal given the current circumstances. He was glad that Kamui had decided to stay true to his word.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "Thank you so-"

"Hold on a second there," Kamui interrupted him, a hand raised in the air. "Even though you had nothing to do with it, your friends are still guilty of invading my palace. As far as I am concerned, that is still a crime worthy of being punished."

Gintoki's happiness quickly turned to rage. "But we had a deal!"

"I agreed to leave Yoshiwara and your friends alone, that is true," said Kamui patiently. "However, they still broke into my palace of their own accord, and are possibly coming to take you away. Now, I will not go out of my way to try and harm your friends, but if they were to happen to come after me…"

Kamui's eyes glinted with excitement. "…I will not hesitate to kill them."

Gintoki found himself getting angry and worried at the same time. "But what about right now? Didn't you say that your guards are chasing after them? Isn't that putting them in danger?"

"Consider that their punishment for breaking into my palace," said Kamui indifferently. "If they manage to escape my guards, so be it. I will not hold it against them. But like I said, if they come after me, I cannot guarantee their safety."

_Shit! _Gintoki cursed. _This is bad. I tried to protect those idiots from danger and they just put themselves right back into it! And if they go after Kamui, they could all die! Uggh, what do I do?_

"Damn it," Gintoki suddenly muttered before turning around. "I have to go," he said bluntly as he ran out of the room.

"Alright, see you later then," said Kamui with a small wave.

_I need to find them _Gintoki thought as he ran. _I need to find all of them and force them to get the hell out of here. Don't they understand how dangerous this is? Don't they understand that I _want_ to be here right now? Hmph, those idiots…_

* * *

Tsukuyo and Katsura ran down the halls as they searched for Gintoki. So far, they had been unable to find even a single trace of the samurai. They were soon starting to realize that they had no idea where he could be.

"Do you even know where he might be in here?" asked Katsura quietly from behind.

"Well, I can think of about two possibilities," replied Tsukuyo, staring straight ahead. "One, he is fighting Kamui right now, which means he is probably in the grand hall. Or two, he has yet to fight Kamui and he is being held somewhere, probably in one of the bedrooms."

"Or three," said a new, unknown voice. "Your friend has already fought Kamui, and is probably dead and in the ground."

Tsukuyo and Katsura immediately stopped in their tracks. "Who's there?" asked the courtesan.

The owner of the voice soon appeared before them after dropping down from the ceiling. It was Abuto, and he was carrying a large red umbrella with him.

"Remember me?" he asked, taunting them with a smile.

"Oh, so it's _you_," said Tsukuyo, her distaste evident in her tone. "Kami's assistant Edward…or should I call you Abuto?"

Abuto just rolled his eyes at this. "Yes, _please _do. I hated being the captain's assistant, I constantly found myself feeling bored or stressed out the entire time. I'd much rather just go back to being plain old Abuto again."

"How did you find us?" asked Katsura, ignoring everything the man had just said.

"Some of our guards spotted you earlier while you were running and then reported it back to me. After that, I decided to come here and greet you guys. I would welcome you into our palace, but it would seem that you've already let yourselves inside…"

"Sorry," said Tsukuyo, a small smile coming to her lips, "we didn't realize we had to make an appointment in order to meet with the overlord."

"The overlord?" repeated Abuto with a smirk. "Huh, I was sure that you would have come to save that boyfriend of yours instead."

The smile dropped from Tsukuyo's face. "Gintoki? So he is here?"

"Of course, he's been here for a while now."

"Is he alright?" asked Tsukuyo, starting to look worried. "Where is he?"

"Sorry, can't tell you that," said Abuto, shaking his head. "I'm afraid we'll be keeping him until we're done with him. But that's besides the point, I think that we're getting a little off topic here…"

Abuto then lifted his umbrella up and rested it on his shoulder. "I came here to take care of you two. After all, we can't just have you running around the palace now can we?"

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth. "Shit," she mumbled as she produced two kunai in her hands. "It looks like we're going to have to fight him."

Katsura was quiet for a moment before he slowly walked up to Tsukuyo. He stopped right in front of her, facing towards Abuto. "No, that won't be necessary," he said, gradually drawing his sword until it was completely out of it's sheath. "_I'll _be taking him on, by _myself_."

"Wait, what?" asked Tsukuyo, looking stunned.

Abuto lifted an eyebrow out of surprise. "You think you can handle me by yourself, little samurai?"

Katsura did not look intimidated. "Sure, I think I can at least handle the overlord's _assistant_."

A vein suddenly appeared on Abuto's forehead as he gave a light smile. "Care to repeat that?"

"Katsura, you can't be serious about this," said Tsukuyo, trying to grab his attention from behind. "You plan on taking this guy on by yourself? That's ridiculous, it will be a lot easier and a lot safer if we just take him on together."

Katsura just gave a determined smile. "But if we do that, then who will go and rescue Gintoki? That was our original goal, was it not?"

Tsukuyo looked taken aback. "Well, yes, but-"

"Then that's all there is to it," said Katsura, still staring straight ahead. "One of us needs to go on ahead and get him. Otherwise, this entire mission was a bust. Listen, you are the only one that knows their way around the palace. Plus, something tells me that you will have the best chance of convincing him to come leave this place with us. I'm honestly not so sure he would listen to the rest of us…"

As Tsukuyo listened to Katsura, the things he was saying were starting to make more and more sense. _It's true, I am the only one who can navigate through this place. And Gintoki would listen to me if I talked to him, right? Maybe I am our best hope at saving him._

Tsukuyo looked up to Katsura. "But, what about you? If I go on ahead, will you be alright here?"

Katsura grinned. "Don't worry about me. I can handle this guy just so long as you promise me that you'll go and bring Gintoki back. Can you do that for me?"

Tsukuyo was quiet for a second before she answered. "I'll do it," she said fiercely. "I'll make sure I bring him back."

"Good," said Katsura, still smiling. "I'll create an opening for you, so just go ahead and get going. And listen, _you_ are our best shot at rescuing him, Tsukuyo. I'm completely leaving it up to you."

"I won't let you down," she mumbled as she put her kunai away. She then got ready to make a run for it as soon as her opportunity arose.

"Can we go ahead and fight already?" asked Abuto, sounding bored. "I don't just want to stand here all night long."

"Very well then," said Katsura, firmly grasping his sword. "Let's see what the overlord's assistant can do."

Abuto glared at the samurai. "Did you _seriously _just call me that again?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Sorry," said Katsura with a small grin, "I just thought that it seemed _accurate_."

That last comment managed to push Abuto over the edge. In the next instant, the Yato was flying towards Katsura in a fit of rage. Katsura, however, was unafraid, and also charged at his opponent without a second thought. They both swung their weapons and they met with a small clang in the air.

Tsukuyo immediately took her opportunity to advance. She ran up to the two men, jumped up to the nearby wall, and then kicked off of it to land a safe distance behind Abuto. She then continued running before looking back once more.

"Katsura!" she yelled down the hall. "I'll bring Gintoki back! Just promise to stay safe, okay?"

"I promise," Katsura whispered in response.

Once she was satisfied, Tsukuyo faced forward once again and darted towards the end of the hall. She refocused her attention on her goal as she disappeared from view.

Abuto simply watched her leave out of the corner of his eye. "Shit, it looks like I let her get away. I suppose I could go after her, but you're not just going to let that happen, are you?"

Katsura didn't respond. Instead, he pulled back his sword and readied it for another swing. Abuto did the same with his umbrella. Katsura swiped his blade as fast as he could from several different angles, doing his best to get a hit on his opponent. Abuto, however, easily matched each blow with ease.

The first time that Katsura left an opening, Abuto immediately made his move. He thrust the tip of his umbrella at Katsura, who just barely dodged by stepping to the side. He quickly recovered and threw a horizontal slash at Abuto. The man jumped over the attack and prepared his umbrella for a vertical swipe on the way back down. Katsura held his sword up in defense as Abuto followed through with his swing. His umbrella hit the blade and the full force of the attack came down on Katsura. He could soon hear the floorboards creaking beneath him under the stress of it all.

_Damn, Gintoki was right_ he thought as he held off the attack._ These guys are incredibly fast and strong. This fight isn't going to be easy. I'm actually going to have to try my best just to keep up with him. I'll have to be careful…one mistake here and the whole thing could be over in an instant…_

As Abuto landed on the floor, he lifted the umbrella off of his opponent. He then proceeded to start swinging it back and forth in an effort to hit Katsura from the side. Katsura watched the movements carefully and evaded or blocked the attacks when necessary. Nevertheless, Abuto advanced on the samurai without relent. Katsura soon found himself backing up from the assault.

_If this continues any longer, I'll have my back against the wall _he thought desperately. _I need to find an opening!_

Abuto swung to the left and then to the right before sending a diagonal swipe upwards. Katsura dodged them all and Abuto prepared to bring the weapon straight back down.

_There!_

The umbrella came crashing back down as Katsura jumped. The force of the swing caused a hole to be opened up in the floor. On his way back down, Katsura carefully adjusted himself so that he ended up landing right on top of Abuto's umbrella. Katsura grinned.

"Gotcha." He grasped his sword with both hands and slashed at the vulnerable Yato.

At the last moment, Abuto reached up with his left hand and caught the sword between his thumb and index finger. The blade had stopped only a few inches from his face. Now it was his turn to smile.

"Perhaps you didn't notice," he said casually, "but my left arm is actually mechanical. It's made entirely of metal, but it still looks like a normal arm. I can easily catch your weapon without the fear of being harmed."

Katsura clenched his teeth. He had not been expecting this.

"Oh, and another thing you probably didn't notice," Abuto continued. "I haven't even used my arms or my legs to fight you until just now. I've only been using my umbrella."

Katsura was now starting to get worried. His fight had apparently been going worse than he had thought it was.

"Here, have a taste," said Abuto as he pulled his umbrella out from underneath Katsura. He then lifted one of his legs up and viciously kicked the flailing samurai in the side. He flew into the opposite wall with a crash before dropping to the floor.

_Damn it _he cursed as he held his side. _That kick was powerful. I hope I wasn't injured too badly._

Katsura managed to stand up and winced as he felt the pain surge through entire body was aching after being slammed into the wall like that.

"Hey, what's the matter?" taunted Abuto. "That wasn't too much for you was it? I thought we were only getting started…"

Katsura let go of his side and grasped his sword with both hands again. _I can't afford to take another hit like that again. I'll need to find a way to finish this match quickly. It's the only chance I have at winning._

Abuto just laughed as he watched the struggling man. "Man, you samurai are all so pathetic. I honestly don't know what the captain sees in you guys. It's obvious that we Yato are the superior race. In the end, I'm going to win this fight, and you will lose. The same goes for your friend. I mean, come on, do you actually think that he stands a chance against the captain? It doesn't matter if you came here to rescue him. You will all die, just the same."

Katsura was quiet for a moment before replying in calm tone. "You think that you've secured this victory just because you have a superior race? That kind of thinking is very foolish of you, and it will cost you this match."

"Oh?" said Abuto, almost laughing again. "And what makes you say that?"

Katsura just sighed. "Sheesh, I figured that being an _assistant_ all this time would have at least taught you something, but it looks like you're as thick as ever-"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A THICK ASSITANT?" Abuto bellowed as he furiously charged at Katsura. He gave his umbrella a horizontal swing.

Katsura ducked close to the floor and darted towards the Yato's legs. He swung his sword and placed a large gash on Abuto's left ankle as he flew past. He then recovered once he was safely behind his opponent.

Abuto slightly winced at his new injury, but quickly turned around and charged at Katsura again, his umbrella swinging wildly. The samurai closely watched each move before swiftly evading it.

_That's it _he thought as he dodged another swing of the umbrella. _Keep giving in to your rage. It will cloud your judgment and make you act rashly…and then, I'll make my move…_

Abuto was now going all out. He was swinging the umbrella in his right hand while taking turns throwing kicks with each foot. His mechanical left arm reached out to try and grab the samurai every so often. Before long, Katsura found himself having trouble keeping up. The attacks kept getting closer and closer to harming him with each passing second.

Eventually, Katsura barely managed to duck under the swing of an umbrella before Abuto punched him right in the gut with his mechanical arm. Katsura instantly coughed up blood and Abuto quickly took this opportunity to sweep the samurai's legs out from underneath him. Katsura fell hard onto his back as he clutched his stomach.

_Damn it, I can't take much more!_

Abuto just smiled as he made a small leap into the air. He looked like he was going for the finishing blow by heavily stomping right on top of Katsura's sprawled out body. As Katsura lay there, he suddenly realized that Abuto was going to stomp using his left foot.

_Finally, this is my chance!_ Katsura managed to grip his sword tightly as he forced himself to roll backwards. He winced at the pain as he recovered to his feet just in front of the incoming attack. Nevertheless, he quickly prepared himself for what came next.

Abuto's left foot hit the floor with such a great force that it left another hole in the floorboards. However, at the same time, blood immediately gushed out of the Yato's ankle. He paused as the pain flooded into him. The wound that Katsura had placed there was now heavily bleeding due to the stress and pressure of Abuto's attack.

Katsura took this new opportunity as the Yato paused in pain. He drew back his sword as he approached him, and Abuto, startled, instinctively raised his mechanical arm in defense. He was preparing to catch the blade again, but Katsura just grinned. He had been expecting this.

Instead of swinging his sword at his opponent, Katsura angled it so that it went for Abuto's right hand side. He easily knocked the umbrella out of his hands as Abuto just stood there, completely confused. He had not been expecting this.

Katsura landed on the floor again and appeared to sheath his sword for a moment. He currently had one hand on his sword and one hand on his sheath. _Alright, let's finish this! _he thought triumphantly as he made another leap at the stunned Yato.

Abuto, quickly gathering his senses, managed to see Katsura draw something from his waist and pull it back for an attack. He immediately lifted up his mechanical arm out of defense.

Katsura swung with his own left hand and his attack was perfectly blocked by Abuto's arm. Abuto almost felt like giving a small sigh of relief, but his eyes actually widened out of surprise instead.

The weapon resting against his mechanical arm was not Katsura's blade. It was his _sheath._

Abuto found himself stunned once again. _He didn't attack with the sword? He faked me out? But then, where…?_

Once Abuto finally realized what was happening, it was already too late. The right hand that Katsura had been secretly hiding behind his shoulder began to swing vertically, revealing the true weapon of the samurai behind him. _There_ was his sword.

Katsura did not hesitate to finish the fight. While his enemy was still stunned, he poured all of his strength into one final diagonal cut across Abuto's chest. It landed without fail and blood splattered everywhere.

"S-Shit," Abuto cursed, quietly falling to the floor with a thud.

Katsura landed right in front of him, and quickly dropped to his knees. Those last few moves had apparently taken more out of him than he had thought. He silently stared down at the Yato for a moment before finally sheathing his sword.

"Looks like it's my win," he said with a small victorious smile.

Abuto started coughing. Blood was starting run all over the floorboards. "Ugh, it hurts too much to move," he said quietly. He turned his head so he could look up at the samurai. "You didn't tell me you were going to use tricks like that."

Katsura was quiet for a moment. "I figured that your superior race would have been able to handle it."

Abuto gave a weak laugh. "I guess it's my fault then. Perhaps I was a little too careless?"

"You could have made some better choices," explained Katsura. "In the end, the only things that helped me win were your mistakes and your confusion. I basically had you beat the moment you started acting rashly."

Abuto was quiet before giving another weak laugh. "I suppose I owe you an apology. You samurai are a rather interesting bunch. I guess I can kind of see what the captain is so excited about. You guys aren't exactly pushovers…"

Abuto's eyes were starting to close. He looked like he was close to fainting. Even so, he still managed to produce one last laugh.

"I kind of wish I could have seen your friend take on the captain. Perhaps that fight would have been more entertaining than I had thought…"

At that point, Abuto lost consciousness. Katsura just continued to stare down at him without saying a word. Eventually, the Yato's last comment started to ring in his ears.

"Oh, that's right," said Katsura, immediately forcing himself to his feet. "We still need to find Gintoki-"

Katsura froze for a second. The pain was still freely flowing all over his body. It hurt just to stand up. To make matters worse, it looked like the two places where he had been hit were badly bleeding. Even though he had won, Katsura was in a pretty bad shape. Nevertheless, he still dragged himself down the hall, hopelessly searching for his friend.

"Shit, I'm not looked so good," he mumbled to himself. "Hopefully, Tsukuyo has already met up with Gintoki and they're on their way back…."

* * *

**Katsura vs. Abuto aaaaaannnddddd Zura wins! I mean Katsura! Yay! XD I hope that this chapter was enjoyable enough. I honestly think that the most interesting part was with Gintoki and Kamui, but I still think that the fight was decent, so I'm satisfied enough.**

**Now, really quickly, for the Gintama Manga readers: I have a question I've been worriedly wondering about for a while now and I really need to ask it. Do you guys think that Gintama is ending? I mean, it may not necessarily be ending soon, but it almost seems like that's what these last few arcs have been building towards. It seems like we're heading towards the big finale, and frankly, I'm scared. I don't want this amazing series to end! Not yet at least! I want it to continue for at least another 300 chapters or so! Maybe even more!**

**That's just the vibe that I got, anyway. Does anyone else feel like that? I also saw that Sorachi left a comment at the beginning of Volume 57 where he said that an ending for Gintama was in the works…so is this it? Let me know what you guys think, I need to start preparing my mind if Gintama really is wrapping up! I hope not, but you never know. Oh well. Either way, **_**this **_**story will continue :)**

**That's it for now. Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and look forward to the next one! Also please consider answering my question! Thank you! Goodbye!**


	29. Book 2 - Chapter 15

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 15

_Please still be safe. Please don't tell me that they've started the fight yet. Please just let him be safe._

These kinds of thoughts flooded Tsukuyo's head as she ran down the halls in search of Gintoki. She was now completely alone, and the group's last hope for finding the samurai and rescuing him. This was part of the reason why Tsukuyo had been thinking such hopeful and desperate thoughts; she didn't want to let '_Team Go Save Our Idiot_' down.

However, despite all of this, there was still another reason that made her keep praying for his safety. It was because she deeply cared for him, and she was truly worried that he might actually be dead. Even though he had just broken her heart the night before, she still knew that he cared about her. The last thing she wanted was to lose him for real this time.

_Please still be safe_ she repeated one last time. _After all, I still have some things I need to say to you. You can't die just yet, alright? Wait for me first!_

* * *

Gintoki ran down the halls, cursing up a storm as he went. He had just recently found himself in a bad mood upon hearing that his friends had broken into the palace. Even though he had just saved the group by agreeing to fight with Kamui, they just ended up putting themselves right back into danger by coming after him. This was not the way that he had originally intended things to happen, so naturally he was quite upset.

_Damn all those idiots! Honestly, how stupid can they be? Coming here, just for my sake! I mean, come on, can't they even take a hint? I told Zura to stay away! I fired those stupid kids! And Tsukuyo, I broke up with her! Can't they understand that I just want them all to stay away and leave me alone!?_

Gintoki stopped ranting and took a deep breath. _Well, I guess it doesn't really matter, because they're all in for a surprise. I'm going to force them all to leave, even if I have to throw them out myself. Serves them right. Oh, and I'm also going to beat the hell out of Zura for telling them where I was! Maybe next time he'll learn to listen to me!_

Gintoki's gaze intensified with new determination. He started picking up the pace.

_Look out, all you idiots! Gin-san is coming to kick your ass out of here!_

* * *

Tsukuyo glanced up ahead. She was still navigating her way deeper into the palace.

_Hmm, I think that the grand hall is this way _she thought as she turned a corner into a medium-sized room…

* * *

Gintoki glanced up ahead. He was still trying to figure out where his friends might have wandered off to after initially entering the palace.

_Hmm, I think that the front entrance is this way _he thought as he turned a corner into a medium-sized room…

* * *

SLAM! The samurai and the courtesan ran right into each other inside of the empty medium-sized room. Tsukuyo's head bumped right into Gintoki's chest and they both bounced back in surprise. They had not been expecting such a sudden collision while they were running.

"Ow…" Tsukuyo mumbled as she put a hand to her head. She quietly looked up to see what exactly she had just run into. She went completely stiff when she saw who it was.

"Gintoki!?" she exclaimed.

"Ah!" Gintoki shouted, also realizing who he had just bumped into. "T-Tsukuyo?"

The both of them immediately froze, not quite sure what to do with the other. Even though they had just previously stressed the focus of their goals in their heads, this unexpected encounter had caused them to quickly forget all of that. Instead, they just stared at each other in disbelief. The initial silence between them was understandable. After all, the last time they had seen each other was on Valentines Day, when Gintoki had said goodbye for good…

Eventually, Tsukuyo managed to speak up. "Gintoki?" was all she could muster.

Gintoki simply stared back, not quite sure what to say. However, as he watched, he could clearly see that Tsukuyo was trying to find the words to tell him something. He just stayed silent as he anxiously waited for her to continue.

Tsukuyo's eyebrows started to fold inward. "Gintoki…you…you…" She paused.

"YOU BASTAAAAAAAARRRD!"

At that moment, Tsukuyo slapped Gintoki hard across the cheek. He turned his head away in pain.

Gintoki then stood still for a moment before placing a hand on his stinging cheek. He turned back towards Tsukuyo. "Ouch! What the hell-!?"

Gintoki suddenly cut his words short as he looked at the courtesan. Her expression was full of rage, and it was all directed at him.

"How dare you!" she screamed at him. "How dare you break up with me on Valentine's Day!"

Gintoki just stared back at her, a little lost. Nevertheless, she continued.

"Do you have any idea how much I was looking forward to spending time with you that night!? That was supposed to be the most romantic night of the year! But then…then you went and did something like that to me!"

Gintoki remained silent, while Tsukuyo looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"How could you!?" she screamed. "How could you do something so heartless like that to me!? Just…just leaving like that! And all those awful things you said to me too! They…they broke my heart…!"

A couple of tears were now rolling down Tsukuyo's cheek.

"I cried all night after that! I…I really thought you didn't care about me anymore! Y-You bastard, you had me all shaken up…"

Tsukuyo took a moment to calm down and wipe her eyes on her sleeve. She then looked up at Gintoki again. "But…but it's okay, because I found out that you were actually here and that Kami wasn't who he appeared to be. Katsura explained everything, so it's all okay. He even explained that you were just acting when you broke up with me in order to keep me safe. And…and I understand, alright? I…I know that you weren't trying to hurt me or anything, just that you were trying to protect me in your own stupid way. I kind of get it…so even though you really hurt me…I guess I can forgive you for what you did…"

Tsukuyo's tone suddenly became stern again as she pointed a finger at the man. "But only because I know it was all an act! That's the only reason why I'm even thinking about forgiving you for what you did!"

Gintoki still remained silent, and Tsukuyo eventually withdrew her finger with a sigh.

"Anyways," she began, "the reason that we all came here is because-"

"It wasn't an act."

Tsukuyo paused as she looked up to the man. "Huh?"

"I said it wasn't an act," he repeated seriously.

Tsukuyo gave him a weird look. "What are you talking about?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Gintoki simply crossed his arms as he stared off to the side. "Look, I don't know what Zura might have told you, but I was not acting when I broke up with you last night. I meant every word I said."

Tsukuyo looked shocked. "What? But…why?"

"I explained all of that last night, didn't I?" he asked shortly. "I thought that I had made my intentions perfectly clear. I don't want to be in a relationship with you any longer. Honestly, what part of that didn't you understand? I'm done with you and I'm moving on! We're completely broken up, got it?"

Tsukuyo cringed as she listened. It hurt to hear Gintoki say those things, especially in that dead-serious tone. She wasn't quite sure how to respond, so she just stayed silent, anxiously awaiting what the samurai was going to say next.

"On that note," said Gintoki, suddenly turning to Tsukuyo with dead fish eyes, "what exactly are you doing here?"

"H-huh?" Tsukuyo choked out.

"What are you doing here? You didn't come here for me, did you? Did you seriously fool yourself into thinking that it had all been an act? Come on, you should have known that there was no longer anything between us."

"Nothing between us?"Tsukuyo repeated. "How…how can you say that?"

"Because it's true," Gintoki said matter-of-factly. "I told you last night that I don't really care about you anymore. I'm not sure why you don't feel the same way, given what happened between us…"

"That doesn't mean I don't still care about you!" Tsukuyo cried desperately.

"Well, whatever," said Gintoki suddenly turning away from her. "All I'm saying is that you're wasting your time with a lost cause here. You really have no reason to be here right now, so get lost. After all, I don't exactly remember inviting you into the palace…"

And with that, Gintoki started walking off. He had just completely rejected everything that Tsukuyo had wanted to say to him. Tsukuyo herself simply stood there for a moment as she watched him walk away.

_So, is that it? _she asked herself. _Is this what I came all the way here for? I came here just to be told that the man I love doesn't care about me? I'm going to have to watch him walk away from me again?_

Tsukuyo could feel the anger welling up inside of her again. _No, I don't believe this. I'm not going to let this happen again..._

"I don't buy it, Gintoki!" she shouted after him.

Gintoki just kept walking, apparently ignoring her.

"This isn't like you!" she insisted. "The Gintoki I know would never act like this unless something was wrong! And I know what it is! It's Kamui isn't it? He's the one making you act like this!"

Gintoki was still walking, almost completely out of the room…

Out of desperation, Tsukuyo shouted the one thing that she hoped would grab his attention.

"If it's true that Kamui's the one making you act like this, then maybe I should go and pay him a visit…"

It worked. Gintoki immediately stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to look at her. He looked surprisingly furious. "You wouldn't," he breathed.

Tsukuyo just stared back as she crossed her arms. "Oh yeah? Try me," she challenged seriously.

Oddly enough, Gintoki had turned back around and was now approaching Tsukuyo at a fast pace. "There is no way in hell that you are going after that guy. I absolutely forbid it. You don't even have any business here anyway! Just get out of here already!"

"No!" she shouted back defiantly.

"Damn it, Tsukuyo listen to me-"

"Why should I? I don't have to listen to you at all! It's not like you're my _boyfriend_ anymore," she replied harshly. "Besides, why do you care? I thought that you didn't even care about me!"

"I don't!" Gintoki shouted back angrily. "I just don't want you getting in the way of things! NOW LEAVE!"

"NO! I came to get you out of here and I'm not leaving until that's done! So if the only way to make you leave is to go take care of Kamui, that's what I'm going to do!"

"Like hell you are! I'm not going to let that happen! Now get out of here!"

"No way! I-"

Tsukuyo suddenly paused and turned around. Gintoki let go of his anger for a moment as he looked at her out of confusion. For some reason, she was staring at the hallway that she had just turned out of.

_What's she doing?_ Gintoki asked himself before a small noise caught his attention. A little ways off, the rumble of several people running could be heard drawing nearer to them.

"Oh shit!" Tsukuyo whispered. "The palace guards are coming! They must be looking for me!"

It was true; the sound of the stampede was fast approaching them. The guards would probably stumble into the room any second now.

"I need to get out of here before they find me!" Tsukuyo shouted as she turned away from the door.

Gintoki, suddenly realizing his newfound opportunity, took the initiative. Just as Tsukuyo turned around, Gintoki clamped both of his hands around her wrists.

Tsukuyo looked stunned. "What the-?" she muttered, looking from her wrists to the man that held them. "Gintoki, what the hell are you doing!? Let go of me!"

Gintoki just gave her a grin. "Sorry, no can do. You and I are going to stay right here."

Tsukuyo tried to tug her wrists back as she argued with him. "But the guards, they're going to find me!"

"Exactly," said Gintoki, still grinning. "HEY, GUARDS, THERE'S AN INTRUDER IN HERE! COME AND GET HER!"

"Gintoki, be quiet!" she pleaded as she desperately tried to release her arms. "Do you want me to be captured!?"

"Of course," replied Gintoki, making it sound like it was obvious. "I told you I didn't want you in here. I'll make sure that the guards throw you out. Oh, and while they're at it, I'll have them throw the other idiots out too."

Tsukuyo frantically looked behind her. The sound of the guards approaching was coming from right outside the room…

"Damn it, Gintoki!" she screamed at him. "Let me go, or I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what?" asked Gintoki, looking amused.

Tsukuyo stopped struggling and did the most unexpected thing she could think of. She quickly leaned in and kissed Gintoki right on the lips. The samurai's eyes immediately widened out of surprised. At the same time, the tight grasp that he had on Tsukuyo's wrists naturally loosened.

_Perfect _she thought as she managed to pull both arms free of Gintoki's hold. She then pulled back from the kiss as she jumped away. She started heading for the exit across from her.

Gintoki was frozen for a second before he finally turned around and realized what was going on. Tsukuyo had made a break for it and she was almost out of sight.

_Shit! She's getting away! _He started going after her when the group of guards finally made it to the room. They immediately surrounded Gintoki upon arrival.

"Oh, it's you," said one of the guards, recognizing Gintoki. "You're the one that the captain wants to fight. We thought that you were an intruder at first."

Gintoki clenched his teeth in frustration. "There _is_ an intruder you idiots! She just ran down that way!" He pointed down the hall where Tsukuyo had just disappeared. "Go get her and throw her out!"

"Oh, er, right," stuttered the guard. He quickly sprinted into action while the others followed behind him. There were only about ten of them, but they would be more than enough to take care of somebody who was on their own.

Gintoki suddenly found himself alone. He then ruffled his hair as he cursed himself. _Ugh, how could I fall for such a stupid trick!? That damn woman, unexpectedly kissing me like that! How could I have let something like that stun me!? I'm such an idiot!_

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kagura's voice echoed. _It's because you're in love Gin-chan…_

_Oh shut the hell up _he thought as he looked up. _Well, in any case, it looks like she got away. I know I sent the guards after her, but Tsukuyo is pretty crafty. I wouldn't be surprised if she found a way to get rid of them…and if she does, then she'll be going directly after Kamui…_

Gintoki paused as Kamui's words came to his mind. _"Now, I will not go out of my way to try and harm your friends, but if they were to come after me…I will not hesitate to kill them."_

"Shit!" Gintoki yelled. "If Tsukuyo finds Kamui, he's going to kill her! Damn it, this is exactly what I was trying to avoid! Why couldn't she have just listened to me when I told her to leave!?"

Gintoki gave a sigh before he started running towards the hallway where he had initially entered. "I'm just going to have to find her before that happens. I'll track her down and drag her out of here if I have to. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that she leaves!"

Without a second thought, Gintoki sprinted down the hall…

* * *

Tsukuyo found herself standing in an empty room, quietly trying to catch her breath. She took a second to crack the door open and peer outside. The small group of guards that had been running after her was now turning into the completely wrong hallway. Tsukuyo just rolled her eyes as she watched.

_Just because the Yato are strong doesn't mean that they're smart. It looks like they're going to spend the rest of their time running around in circles trying to find me. In any case, I suppose that frees me up to go after Kamui…_

Tsukuyo suddenly felt a pang of guilt from inside of her. Earlier, she had promised her friends that she would do her best to try and _avoid _Kamui. In fact, they had all made that promise. And yet, here she was, directly planning on breaking that promise.

Tsukuyo quickly shook her head and checked to make sure that the coast was clear. She then ran out into the hall and started heading in the opposite direction of the guards.

"_I think we should also promise to stay away from Kamui once we're inside. He's too dangerous, and I don't trust him. You never know what he might pull after we've infiltrated his home. We should only focus on finding Gintoki. Do you all agree?"_

Tsukuyo looked to the floor.

_I know I promised them I wouldn't do it…but I don't really have a choice, do I? Gintoki is so stubborn, I'm pretty sure that this is the only way to save him. I'm just going to have to take on Kamui by myself. If I somehow manage to beat him, then Gintoki will finally be able to leave this place in peace. It's the only way…_

_Forgive me, everyone. I'm going to have to break our promise for the sake of completing the mission. I hope you guys won't be too angry with me. At the very least, I'll still try to come back alive…I'll do my best to at least keep that promise…_

Tsukuyo looked up and focused once again. She picked up the pace. _Okay, so let's see…I'll bet Kamui is waiting in the grand hall. He'll be expecting to fight Gintoki, so it should be quite a surprise when I show up instead._

Tsukuyo flew down hallway after hallway. She knew exactly where she was going. It would only take a few minutes to reach her final destination…

* * *

Gintoki, on the other hand, was completely lost. Unlike Tsukuyo, he was not very familiar with the palace, and he had already taken more than a few wrong turns.

Eventually, he stopped at a corner and started scratching his head. "Damn it, which way was it again?" he asked, looking back and forth. "Ugh, screw this place! Why does it have to be so big!?"

With a frustrated look on his face, Gintoki continued sprinting down the hallway, coincidentally going in the completely wrong direction…

* * *

_Here it is…_Tsukuyo thought, looking up at a large pair of doors. She quietly took a deep breath before kicking them both open. She slowly walked inside.

Kamui, who was still sitting on the floor, looked up at his new guest. "What a surprise!" he exclaimed, smiling. "If it isn't the leader of the Hyakka herself, _Tsukuyo_."

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth. "Why, hello, _Kamui_…"

* * *

**Well, here's another chapter of my amazing story! Slowly but surely, we are currently making our way towards the end of Book 2. I'm not sure how many more chapters will be left, but we still have a little ways to go. If I had to guess…maybe 5-7 chapters left…maybe…we'll see. In the meantime, I'll keep working on it to make sure that we get there!**

**In other news, I'm thinking about starting another story. I have an idea that I think might be interesting. However, it won't be about Gintama, but One Piece instead. If you're interested in that, stay tuned. I might start that up once I finish Book 2 of Silver Moon. Although, nothing has been officially decided yet. I still have some thinking to do. We'll just have to wait and see…**

**That's all for now. Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter! I'd really appreciate it! See you later!**


	30. Book 2 - Chapter 16

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 16

"What a surprise!" exclaimed Kamui, smiling. "If it isn't the leader of the Hyakka herself, _Tsukuyo_."

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth. "Why, hello, _Kamui_…"

Kamui continued smiling pleasantly, as if he were simply entertaining a guest. "I must say, Tsukuyo, I was not expecting you to just show up like this. Nevertheless, it's nice to see that you came to visit your overlord."

Tsukuyo glared at him. "Cut the crap," she demanded. "I know who you are and what you're up to. You are _not _the overlord."

Kamui curiously glanced at her. "Oh, so you finally figured it out, eh? Hmph, took you long enough. That is correct, my name is actually Kamui instead of Kami, but it doesn't really make a difference. You see, no matter who I am, I am still the overlord of Yoshiwara."

"No, you're a _fraud_," said Tsukuyo bravely. "You're nothing but a hoax. The only reason you acted as overlord was because it was convenient for you. You never cared about this city at all."

"Sheesh, such harsh words," said Kamui playfully. "Although, I cannot deny that there is truth in them. You're right, this city is nothing more than a tool to me."

Tsukuyo felt herself becoming more and more angry. "You fooled us all," she said quietly. "You gave us a false hope. We really thought that a new overlord had come down to take care of us. We thought that things would get better under your rule…"

"And they did," said Kamui proudly. "I did a lot to help this city while I was in power."

"But it was all an act!" Tsukuyo shouted. "You never cared about us! You only wanted our trust, just so you could get what you wanted! And once you had it, you abandoned us without a second thought…"

"So what if I did?" asked Kamui indifferently. "You should all just be happy that I helped as much as I did. You could even say that I was very generous considering it was all just an act."

"No," said Tsukuyo firmly, "you betrayed us. You took advantage of us. And I, as the leader of the Hyakka, cannot simply sit by and let you do this. I've come to put a stop to you, for the crime of deceiving and using the city of Yoshiwara and its people."

Kamui gave her another curious glance. "Oh? And is that the only reason why you're upset with me?"

"No there is one more thing," said Tsukuyo, angrily drawing a kunai from her sleeve. "You're also the reason that my boyfriend dumped me."

Kamui stared at her for a moment before giving a big laugh. "Really? You're going to blame your relationship problems on _me_? Now that's just funny."

Tsukuyo glared at him, but still managed to reply in a calm tone. "You're the one who's forcing Gintoki to throw his life away for the sake of keeping everyone else safe. It's _entirely_ your fault. But, it doesn't really matter, because I've come to take him back. We are all going to leave this place together."

Kamui stared at her, looking amused. "So what? Are you going to fight me now or something?"

"That's exactly right." Tsukuyo produced another kunai in her other hand before pointing it at Kamui. "I'm going to defeat you, and then we're all going to leave in peace."

Kamui laughed again before finally standing up. He grabbed his umbrella and rested it on his shoulder. "Very well," he said, "if it's a fight you want, I will grant it to you. Just know this, I will not be holding back."

"Good," she replied with a smirk, "then neither will I."

At that instant, Tsukuyo hurled a kunai at the boy while he charged straight at her, umbrella raised…

* * *

Gintoki was frantically running through the halls, and he was growing more and more anxious with each passing second. He had absolutely no idea where he was going, and it was starting to frustrate him.

_Damn it, Tsukuyo, why did you have to run off and do something like this!? She might have already found Kamui by now! I need to hurry up and find her before its too late! But where the hell do I go!?_

Gintoki turned a corner and suddenly stopped. Apparently, he had somehow found his way back to the bedroom that had been assigned to him. He took a quick peek into the room, to make absolutely sure that it was in fact the same one that he had been sleeping in before. He then gave a small grin.

_It's my room! _Gintoki thought happily. _I know where I am right now! And not only that, but I also know how to get to the grand hall from here! I can still make it to Tsukuyo in time!_

Gintoki immediately resumed his sprinting. _I need to hurry. I can't spare another second. I need to get Tsukuyo out of here before Kamui ends up killing her!_

He reached the end of the hall and turned the corner. He then ran for a little bit before something caught his attention. Somebody was slowly walking in through the other end of the hall. Gintoki stopped dead in his tracks once he saw who it was.

"Zura!?"

Katsura held his side as he turned his head. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the samurai. "Gintoki! Is that you?"

Katsura quickly started dragging himself down the hall. Gintoki immediately noticed that the man was heavily injured. He was bleeding very badly.

"What the hell happened to you?" asked Gintoki, some concern showing in his voice.

"I just finished fighting Kamui's assistant," Katsura mumbled as he stopped in front of the samurai. "He was a tough one; it wasn't easy to put him down. In the end, I couldn't finish him without taking at least a couple of injuries."

Gintoki quietly looked away from the wounds. "Uh, never mind. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm here for you, of course," answered Katsura. "We all came to rescue you. We couldn't just leave you here to kill yourself for our sakes."

"Oh, hey, that reminds me," said Gintoki, calmly walking up and grabbing Katsura by the front of his shirt. "Why the hell did you tell everyone about my fight with Kamui!? I thought I told you to shut up about that!"

Katsura simply stared back at him. "I couldn't help it. They were all so worried about you; I couldn't just leave them in the dark. I had to tell them what was going on…"

"Damn it Zura!" yelled Gintoki as he shook the man's shirt. "Now look what you've done! They all went and put themselves in danger for me! This is exactly what I was trying to prevent!"

Katsura completely ignored the man. Instead, he tried to take a glance behind the samurai, like he was looking for something. "I'm a little surprised," he said calmly. "I thought that Tsukuyo would have met up with you by now…where is she?"

Gintoki suddenly let go of Katsura. "Oh shit, Tsukuyo," he mumbled, "I completely forgot what I was doing! I have to go!"

Gintoki tried to go around Katsura, but he was unable to do so. Katsura had blocked him with outstretched arms.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" he demanded angrily.

"Zura, get out of the way!" shouted Gintoki, trying his best to get around the man. Katsura just wouldn't budge.

"No way, you're not going anywhere! We all came here to rescue you and I'm not moving until you agree to come with me and leave this place!"

"I don't have time for this!" Gintoki shouted. "Tsukuyo is in danger! I have to go and get her!"

Katsura looked at the samurai like he was acting suspicious. "What kind of danger?" he asked warily.

Gintoki stopped struggling for a moment in order to hastily explain. "She went to go fight with Kamui! He's going to kill her! Now, please, let me-"

"Pfft, nice try," said Katsura, refusing to move. "Tsukuyo wouldn't go after Kamui. Before we broke in here, we all made a promise that we would _avoid_ Kamui. I know that she would never break that promise."

"Damn it, Zura, I'm not lying!" Gintoki insisted. "Now move! We're running out of time!"

"Yeah right. You're just trying to trick me so that you can slip away," said Katsura firmly. "Well, guess what? I won't allow it. I agreed to help rescue you and that's exactly what I'm doing."

"Zura, you don't understand! I can't waste another second! MOVE!"

"NO!"

"Damn it all!" Gintoki shouted, suddenly jumping back a bit. He put a hand on the sword that sat at his waist. "You've given me no choice! If you're not going to move out of the way, then I'm just going to cut you down right here and now!"

Katsura raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? You're not actually going to attack me, are you?"

In response, Gintoki slowly drew the sword from its sheath. He was glaring intensely at the man across from him. "_Move_," he ordered.

Katsura stared back in disbelief. "You're serious?"

Gintoki silently crouched down into an attack position. He was completely serious.

Katsura clenched his teeth before shaking his head. He then slowly drew his own sword. "Fine!" he shouted out of frustration. "If it's a fight you want, then let's go! I promised the others that I would help bring you back and I'm not going to let them down! If this is the only to do it, then so be it!"

Gintoki didn't bother to argue. He had already lost a lot of time and was now losing even more with each passing second. Even though he didn't really want to attack Katsura, Gintoki knew that it was the only way that he would be able to get around him and finally go after Tsukuyo.

Both men drew back their swords and took their stances. They glared at each other, both extremely determined to win. There would be no holding back. For a moment, there was silence, and then…

Gintoki and Katsura flew at each other, swinging their swords at the last instant. There was a clash, and both samurai landed on their feet, facing away from each other. Everything was still for a second, until suddenly, a large gash opened up on Katsura's chest and blood splattered everywhere. He soon fell to the floor as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. The loss of blood had been too much; he was now unconscious.

Gintoki, who was completely unscathed, turned back to look at him. He frowned as he slowly sheathed his sword. He almost looked sympathetic for his fallen friend.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't want to do that, but you gave me no choice. I understand that you really wanted to rescue me, but you honestly had no chance of beating me just now."

Gintoki paused as he turned away. "I'm sorry," he repeated, "but it looks like my resolve was stronger in this fight…"

Without another word, Gintoki ran off again. He was now heading straight for the grand hall, where he would hopefully find Tsukuyo and get her to safety…

* * *

Tsukuyo hurled dozens of kunai at Kamui as he began to draw nearer and nearer to the courtesan. She was trying her best to keep him at a distance, but he was apparently having an easy time of dodging everything that came at him. As the kunai became stuck in the wall far behind him, Kamui's excited smile grew larger.

"Not bad," he said, "not bad at all. But, on the contrary…"

He quickly stepped around a flying kunai and raised his umbrella. "…not exactly good, either."

Tsukuyo tried to jump back, but it was too late. Kamui had swiped his umbrella and it had caught Tsukuyo right in the stomach. She instantly froze as she felt the wind get knocked out of her. Before she could even recover, Kamui followed up with a swift kick to her side. She was slammed into the nearby wall.

_Shit!_ Tsukuyo cursed as she held her side._ This guy is better than I thought! Gintoki was right to fear him...Hmm, fighting up close is definitely not going to work. I need to put some distance between us…_

Tsukuyo glanced up. _There!_

She smoothly jumped up to the second floor balcony that stood above her. She hopped over the railing before drawing two more kunai.

Kamui cheerfully looked up at her. "Do you really think that you're going to be safe up there?" he asked doubtfully.

Tsukuyo glared back at him. _Come and get me, you bastard…_

Kamui just shook his head. "Very well then. I'm coming up."

Kamui leaped, and Tsukuyo released her kunai after him. He managed to twist and turn his body as he rose through the air, effectively dodging each attack. He then surprisingly came to land on the third floor balcony, the one right overtop of Tsukuyo.

_Why is he up there? Did he overshoot the jump? _she wondered.

One second later, she had found her answer as the floor of the balcony above her came crashing down. Tsukuyo hopped out of the way as she saw Kamui's falling body land amongst the rubble.

_It was a trap! He stomped his way right through the floor so that he would land on top of me!_

Tsukuyo quickly recovered her senses before going on the offensive. She drew another kunai as she approached Kamui in between the still falling ceiling. He managed to spot her just in time. He swatted the kunai away with his free hand while Tsukuyo secretly drew one of the tanto that rested in her belt. She brought it forward in a wide swing towards Kamui's face. He pulled back as fast as he could as the knife nicked him on the cheek. Kamui instantly kicked her away as he withdrew.

Tsukuyo held her side again as she stood up straight. She looked over to Kamui. A drop of blood fell from the small cut on his cheek. Tsukuyo lightly smiled.

_At least I hit him this time_ she thought dismally. _Still, I've taken way too many hits. If this keeps up, I'll be unable to continue. I've got to do something…_

Kamui started laughing as he ran a finger over his new cut. "Feeling good about yourself?" he asked. "Well, you better soak it up, because that's going to be the last hit that you get on me."

Without another word, Kamui charged at her again, swinging his umbrella. Tsukuyo desperately held up her tanto in defense, but it was no use. The weapon simply shattered under the force of Kamui's attack. With nothing to stop it, the umbrella continued swinging right into Tsukuyo's side again.

_Damn it! _she cursed, clenching her teeth.

She hurriedly produced another kunai in her hand and thrust it at Kamui's face. With little effort, the Yato firmly grabbed her by the wrist. He then gave her a big smile before hurling her over the railing of the balcony. She fell towards the ground floor as she frantically stuck out her legs and feet to catch her. Her body slammed against the floor, and she had a hard time picking herself back up.

Kamui jumped down and landed a short distance in front of her. "Don't tell me you're done already?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

Tsukuyo got to her feet, even though it hurt to stand. "No!" she shouted. "I'm not done yet! I'm not leaving this place until Gintoki does! And he can't do that until you're completely taken care of! So I'm not giving up yet!"

"Tch," muttered Kamui.

Tsukuyo planted her feet firmly and took a deep breath. She looked back up at Kamui. "LEAVE GINTOKI ALONE!" she screamed, once again hurling dozens of kunai at the young Yato.

Kamui kept a sly smile on his face as he dodged each blade. Tsukuyo, becoming irritated at this, picked up the pace. She was throwing kunai as fast as her body would allow. The wall behind Kamui was becoming heavily littered with the small weapons.

Eventually, Kamui stopped dodging and actually reached out for one of the flying kunai. He swiftly snatched it out of the air before spinning around and hurling right back at its sender. Tsukuyo winced as it planted itself firmly in her side. Nevertheless, she continued with her assault.

_I've been through worse than this before! _she told herself. _This isn't that bad! The pain doesn't hurt that much! You can still keep fighting! You can still-_

Tsukuyo's thoughts were cut short as two more kunai landed in her chest. She coughed, and small specks of blood flew out of her mouth. She stopped throwing her kunai and looked up at her opponent. Kamui was still unharmed, and was smiling maliciously.

"If you want me to show you how to hit a target, just keep on throwing those things," he taunted her. "After that, I can teach you how to _dodge_ them."

"Shut up," Tsukuyo spat. She took turns gently grabbing each of the three kunai in her chest and swiftly pulling them out. Blood flowed out of each new wound and her previous ones continued to ache from the pain. This was not looking good.

Kamui watched her for a moment before he casually started walking towards her. Out of desperation, Tsukuyo rapidly hurled the three bloodied kunai at the boy, only to watch him step to the side and avoid them all. He then quickly closed the distance between them and swiped her legs out from underneath her. As she started falling, Kamui formed a fist and punched her right in the gut. She immediately flew to the floor and landed on her back.

"Ugh!" she cried. She desperately tried to move, but she couldn't. The pain had finally immobilized her.

Kamui stood overtop of her and gave her a frown. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I thought that you were going to defeat me and take Gintoki away from here. Isn't that what you promised you would do?"

Tsukuyo glared up at him. She was unable to do a thing. All she could do was listen to the Yato that was looking down at her.

"You can't do it, can you?" he said in a serious tone. "I knew it. You see, this is why I hate the weak. All they ever do is talk a big game, but they never follow through with it. It's downright _annoying_. If you're not strong enough to do something, then don't go ahead make such brave speeches about it…"

Tsukuyo continued to glare at him while he lifted one of his legs. It hovered over her body.

"Let me teach you a lesson in strength," said Kamui, a twisted smile coming to his face. "Let's say I wanted to stomp on you right now. What's to stop me from doing it?"

Suddenly, Kamui's foot fell right onto Tsukuyo's torso, and she screamed in agony. Amidst the pain, she could feel her ribs cracking.

"The answer: nothing. Your own weakness keeps you from being safe. You are not strong enough to stop me, so you will simply not stop me. Want some more proof? Try to stop me from inflicting more damage."

With a sinister smile, Kamui twisted his foot back and forth on top of Tsukuyo's body. Blood flew out of her fresh kunai wounds, causing her to scream even more. Kamui eventually gave a sigh as he lifted his leg. The pressure on Tsukuyo lessened, but the pain hurt worse than ever before.

"I just wanted to make you learn your place," Kamui informed her. "Weaklings do not defeat the strong. Maybe next time you will think twice before spouting all of that nonsense like a complete idiot."

Kamui gave one last twisted smile as he dropped his leg again. This time, it landed on Tsukuyo's arm.

"AHHHHH!" she cried. She could feel her bones snapping in two from the force of the kick. He had just broken her arm.

Kamui gently moved his foot back to the floor as he stared down at the courtesan. He then gave another sigh. "Well, in any case, I'm done with you now. This fight has been nothing short of boring. You can go now."

As soon as he finished his last comment, Kamui pulled back his leg and kicked Tsukuyo's limp body off of the floor. It flew through the air for a short while before crashing back down a short distance away. Her body was now sprawled out all over the floor, looking completely lifeless.

As she lay there, all Tsukuyo could do was groan. Her body was in a horrible shape. Not only was it covered in several severe bruises and heavily bleeding wounds, but both her ribs and her left arm had also been broken as well. Before long, Tsukuyo started cursing herself.

_Damn it! How could I have let this happen? My body is in tatters…I can't even move! In the end, I couldn't do anything to save Gintoki! I…I was only a burden…_

Tsukuyo quietly started crying, frustrated at her own helplessness. _Kamui was right…I am weak…_

Suddenly, Tsukuyo stopped herself. An abrupt noise had just caught her attention. Somebody had just slammed a pair of doors open. She forced her head to turn towards the entrance.

There stood Gintoki, silently glancing around the room, trying to take everything in. His eyes eventually fell upon Tsukuyo's limp body and widened in horror.

"Tsukuyo?" he whispered.

He stared at her for another moment before closing his eyes. When he reopened them, he shifted his gaze from Tsukuyo's body, to the smiling vermillion-haired boy who was standing behind it. Gintoki's eyes were now sparking with rage.

"KAMUUUIIIIIII!"

* * *

**Oh boy, here we go. Gintoki vs. Kamui finally incoming! Are you excited? I am! Let's hope I can make something good out of this! In other words, let's hope I don't screw it up! XD**

**In other news, I go back to school next week. Aww…but, oh well. The summer was a lot of fun and I enjoyed my time off. Nevertheless, it does feel a little nice to get back into the good old learning experience! Or at least, that's what I'm telling myself, anyway…**

**But yeah, I'm going back to another semester at school. This is basically just a small heads-up that I won't have as much time to work on this story. There are always other things that are more important to deal with, you know? So, in any case, the release might slow down a little bit. Maybe. We'll see. I might just end up having plenty of time to myself, so who knows?**

**In any case, I'll wish everyone who is returning back to school good luck! I know it can be hard sometimes, so I'm wishing you all the best in the new school year. Aside from that, I'm done here. Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and also look forward to the next one! See you then!**


	31. Book 2 - Chapter 17

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 17

Tsukuyo stared up at Gintoki, quietly watching his reaction. He looked absolutely furious with the boy standing across the room. He had already laid a hand on his sword, and he looked like he might draw the weapon at any moment.

Tsukuyo decided to try and get his attention. "G-Gintoki," she sputtered.

Gintoki immediately snapped out of his angry state and turned to look at her again. "Tsukuyo?" he said, sounding worried.

He quickly ran over to where her body lay and knelt down. His hands hovered over her like he wasn't sure if he should touch her or not. His eyes were scanning her body, instantly noticing everything that was wrong with her. The bleeding, the bruises, her limp arm…

Gintoki put his hands to his head. "I…I can't believe this…" he said quietly. "How…how could I have let this happen? This is all my fault…Tsukuyo, I'm sorry…"

Tsukuyo just looked up at him, not quite sure what to say. After a while, Gintoki removed his hands from his head, only to have them hover over Tsukuyo's body once again. There was a moment's hesitation before he eventually decided that he couldn't just leave her like that forever. He gently slipped his arms underneath her and slowly picked her up.

Tsukuyo winced a little bit as she rose through the air. She was still in a lot of pain, and being moved around didn't exactly make it feel any better. Once she was safely in his arms, Gintoki turned around and started walking away, heading back towards the door.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm sorry that you were so worried about me. I'm sorry for everything that I've put you through. I never wanted this to happen to you. I never wanted you to be hurt…I just wanted to keep you safe…"

Tsukuyo suddenly found herself smiling up at the man. "You lied," she whispered.

Gintoki looked confused. "Huh?"

"You lied," she said, still weakly smiling. "You said…that you didn't…care about me…you lied…"

Gintoki stared at her for a second before giving her a small smile in return. "Maybe I did lie…so what? Look, if it makes you feel any better, you can kick my ass later. But for now, you need to focus on staying alive."

At that moment, Kamui, who was still standing a short distance away, decided to chime in. "Sheesh, I sure am glad that I'm done fighting with that weakling. She was so _boring_. I think that I'm about ready to fight a true warrior now."

A shadow fell over Gintoki's eyes. He ever so slightly turned towards Kamui. "_Shut up_," he said through clenched teeth.

Kamui ignored him and continued smiling. "Honestly though, how can someone as _useless_ as her be-"

"I SAID TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Gintoki roared behind him.

Kamui looked stunned and immediately stopped talking. He had not been expecting such a sudden outburst from his opponent.

Tsukuyo, on the other hand, looked up at Gintoki almost out of fear. She had rarely ever seen him so angry before. It was kind of scary.

Gintoki soon noticed the look on Tsukuyo's face before taking a deep breath. He calmly walked over to a spot next to the door. He then carefully lowered Tsukuyo down until she was safely sitting on the floor. He leaned her body back against the wall before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Tsukuyo," he said, looking directly at her. "I'm going to get you out of here, I promise. However, you're going to have to be a little bit patient. Please, just wait here for a little bit, alright?"

Tsukuyo stared back at him. "I understand, Gintoki. I'll wait patiently. Just make sure that you follow through on that promise you made to me on my birthday…"

Gintoki was a little confused again. "What promise?"

Tsukuyo lightly smiled. "Don't you remember? You said '_Just let me know if that Kami guy ever starts mistreating the city like Hosen did. I'll be sure to come right away and kick his ass._'"

Gintoki quickly remembered what she was referring to. _I did say that, didn't I?_

"Gintoki," Tsukuyo whispered once more, "kick his ass."

Gintoki stared at her for another second before standing up. "I will," he said with a determined nod. He then turned around to face Kamui, who had been silently watching the samurai.

Gintoki's eyes flickered back to Tsukuyo for a moment before focusing on Kamui again. "I understand, Tsukuyo," he said quietly. "I understand why you wanted to fight him so badly. It wasn't just about rescuing me from his clutches, was it? No, you also had a personal score to settle with him. He fooled you, and all of Yoshiwara. He used you. He abused his power as the overlord. That's why you hate him so much…that's why you wanted to fight him…"

Tsukuyo silently stared at Gintoki's back. She didn't know what to say. His accusations were completely correct.

Gintoki put a hand on his sword. "I understand," he said again. "Well, don't worry, because I'm going to carry your resolve into battle…along with my own…"

Gintoki drew the blade out of its black sheath. He held it out in front of him, both hands clasped around the hilt. "I'm not worried about losing anymore," he declared confidently. "My desire to win is too strong. Kamui, I swear, I am going to defeat you, right here and now."

A smile came to Kamui's face. "Finally," he said excitedly. "I'm finally going to get what I want…a fight with a true samurai…"

Gintoki gave him a cold glare. "Be careful what you wish for…"

Without another thought, Gintoki flew at the boy. He swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming straight for his opponent's head. At the last second, Kamui lifted up his umbrella out of defense. The two weapons collided with a loud clang.

Gintoki and Kamui glared at each other for a split second before quickly retracting their weapons. Gintoki then went on the offensive again by throwing a great fury of attacks at Kamui. Using his umbrella, the Yato managed to match each blow and redirect it away from him. Nevertheless, Gintoki continued to swing from several different angles in an attempt to hit the boy.

Eventually, Gintoki went in with a horizontal slash while Kamui grinned. With little effort, Kamui swung his umbrella downward and hit the tip of Gintoki's sword to the floor. Smiling in triumph, Kamui glanced up at his opponent, hoping to see the surprised look on his face.

"What's the matter? Did I-"

BAM!

Out of nowhere, a fist had suddenly hit Kamui right in the jaw. The force of the impact made the boy take a few steps back. He quickly looked to his opponent. Gintoki had just punched him.

"You talk too much," said the samurai coldly. He lifted the tip of his sword up from the ground and charged at Kamui again. Another wave of slashes fell onto the Yato as he struggled to recover his original stance. Before long, Gintoki was actually forcing the boy back. He was soon trying his best to block the samurai's fierce attacks.

_Faster! _thought Gintoki. _Harder! Stronger! Swifter! Give it everything you've got! Use all of your strength! Take this bastard down!_

Gintoki felt himself becoming more determined and doubled his effort. Kamui was now desperately blocking each slice that came at him. A few seconds later, a scratch appeared on Kamui's arm. Then one appeared on his leg. Gintoki was getting close to landing a full hit…

At that point, Kamui decided to take a risk. He quickly shifted his priority from defense to offense. If he could just land a hit on the samurai before he was hit himself, it might just end up saving him. Without another thought, Kamui thrust his umbrella at Gintoki while he was barely vulnerable. Gintoki noticed this and decided to take his opportunity as well.

Gintoki quickly lifted up his foot and latched it onto the tip of the incoming umbrella. Using all of his strength, he forced the weapon to redirect into the floor while also taking a small step forward, balancing all of his weight on the foot that held down the umbrella. He was now close to Kamui. Without even a single second's hesitation, he thrust his sword into the body of the Yato.

Kamui stood there looking completely stunned. The blade had pierced him right in the middle of the chest. Kamui just stared at it for a moment before smiling.

"Wow. You actually injured me," he said, sounding impressed. He looked up. "Perhaps I should start getting serious?"

Gintoki tried to pull the sword out of his opponent, but it was too late. Kamui was now smiling maliciously as he firmly grasped the blade of the sword. He was holding on to it so tight that Gintoki was unable to make it move. Soon enough, a small trickle of blood was falling out of Kamui's hand. Still grinning, the Yato lifted one of his legs and hurled it at Gintoki. The kick hit the samurai right in the stomach, and he immediately flew across the room into the opposite wall.

_Shit! _he cursed as he fell to the ground with a thud. The wall behind him had been fairly damaged from the impact. _That really hurt! And now I'm weaponless too! How the hell am I supposed to beat this kid now!?_

Gintoki frantically glanced around for anything that might help him, and he soon found something. A short distance away from him, the wall was covered with protruding kunai from top to bottom.

_How did all those get there? _he wondered vaguely as he stood up. _Oh yeah, it must have been Tsukuyo's doing. Well, I better make the most of them!_

As he hurried over to the wall, Kamui just smiled as he gently removed the sword from his chest. A small spurt of blood came out of his new wound once the weapon was free. Kamui then held the weapon in his free hand as he watched the samurai remove several kunai out of the wall.

Once he was ready, Gintoki turned back around. He now had a kunai in each hand, and several more stored inside of his clothes. He watched Kamui carefully before hurling the first one. The kunai was fast, and it had a lot of force, but Kamui still managed to step to the side at the last moment.

Gintoki threw another one, followed quickly by a third one. Kamui dodged them both. By now Kamui had started to notice something. The kunai were being aimed towards his right side, the side where his arm held the samurai's sword.

"Are you trying to get this back?" taunted the Yato as he lifted up the sword. "What are you trying to make me do, drop it?"

Gintoki didn't answer. Instead he drew two more kunai and took careful aim. He threw the first one. Once again, Kamui dodged. He was about to start laughing at this failed attempt when he suddenly froze. A kunai had actually just pierced his right arm…_from behind_.

Out of surprise and pain, Kamui accidently loosened his grip on the sword and it started tumbling out of his fingers. At the same moment, he took a quick glance behind him to see Tsukuyo's heavily panting body still lying on the floor. Her good arm was outstretched, and she had a slightly satisfied look on her face.

_I don't understand _thought Kamui, looking confused. _Did she still have more kunai on her? Wait…no, it was those kunai that I dodged! Gintoki specifically threw them so that she would be able to catch them from behind me! He was actually arming her as I dodged! Damn, that was clever!_

At the same instant, Kamui realized the samurai's sword was now falling to the ground, completely out of his grasp. He quickly went to grab for it as it fell, when another kunai pierced his arm, this time from the front.

Kamui hesitated again as he looked forward. Gintoki was now charging at the Yato and he was starting to close in. Gintoki quickly hurled one final kunai at the boy, and it was heading straight in between the sword and Kamui's hand. Kamui instinctively retracted his hand as the sword hit the ground.

In the next instant, Gintoki had closed the distance between them and he was now reaching low for his sword. Kamui, looking upset, threw a horizontal swing at the samurai. Gintoki noticed this and used all of his speed to launch himself into a dive for his free weapon. He reached out his arm…

He grabbed it! He landed with a small roll and quickly spun around. With his sword back in his hand, he jumped for the Yato. Kamui, who was still one step behind, desperately tried to swing his umbrella back around.

For a second, the weapons connected and paused in midair. Then, as if time had continued again, Gintoki's sword started moving forward along the side of the umbrella. Gintoki was using all of his strength and all of his speed to move that blade…

_GO! _he shouted in his mind. _Hit this bastard! Make him bleed! TAKE HIM DOWN!_

With a shower of sparks, Gintoki's sword slid along the side of the umbrella and fell right onto Kamui's shoulder. The cut went in deep, and blood flew out of the new wound. As Kamui flinched, Gintoki quickly removed his sword from the shoulder and took a few steps back. He didn't want to risk losing his weapon again.

Kamui glared up at the samurai as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. There was a smile on his face. "That was smart," he said between breaths. "Using the woman to your advantage in order to surprise me. Very clever…"

Gintoki didn't respond. He just stood there and readied himself for what might come next from the boy across from him. To his surprise, Kamui actually dropped his umbrella to the floor. Now that his hand was free, he reached over to his right arm and began removing the two kunai that were buried inside of it. Gintoki watched him warily. He was trying to prepare himself for anything that Kamui might be planning.

Kamui dropped the first kunai to the floor, next to his umbrella. The second one, however, he held in both of his hands. He was turning the kunai over and over, watching the weapon as he revolved it with the tips of his fingers. Eventually, he glanced up. He stared at Gintoki. Gintoki stared back.

_What's he up to? _he wondered as he stared into the boy's blue eyes. They both stood there for a moment, when suddenly, in just a fraction of a second, Gintoki noticed that Kamui's eyes had flickered towards Tsukuyo, who sat behind him…

_Oh no._

Without even thinking, Gintoki moved so that he was placed right in between Kamui and Tsukuyo. He had been just in time too, for Kamui had just launched the kunai straight at the disabled courtesan. The weapon ended up planting itself firmly in Gintoki's chest.

Tsukuyo, who had barely seen what had happened from her spot on the floor, knew that Gintoki had been injured in some way. "Gintoki!" she cried weakly.

Kamui, on the other hand, looked rather curious. "Damn," he muttered to himself. "I was hoping to finish off that woman for good. But then Gintoki had to go and get right in the way of that-"

"Listen up, you," said Gintoki quietly. A shadow had fallen over his eyes, but he was still looking directly at Kamui. "You can try all you like, but I've suddenly decided to make a vow. I will never, as long as I am able, _ever_ let you harm Tsukuyo again. You've hurt her in more ways than one, and it makes me sick. No, it makes me furious. So don't think that you're going to be able to do anything to her until you've taken care of me, because I'm not going to allow this any longer…"

Gintoki suddenly ripped the kunai out of his chest without even looking at it; his eyes were currently glaring at Kamui. He slowly lifted up his sword and pointed it at the Yato. "I swear, Kamui, I will not stop until I have cut you down!"

Once Gintoki was finished speaking, the room went silent. Kamui gave him another curious look before eventually grinning.

"Very well," said the boy, an excited look in his eyes. "If that is the way you want it, then let us presume our match, just me and you. That is actually the way I would prefer it, after all…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Kagura and Shinpachi were running throughout the hallways of the palace. After their last encounter with the guards, they had yet to meet anyone else.

"Do you really think that we took out all of the guards back there?" asked Shinpachi.

"Maybe," said Kagura, "but we should stay alert just in case."

"Right," agreed Shinpachi. "However, in any case, I think that our job as the distraction has been finished. Even if they still have more guards, they're not sending anybody after us anymore. For now, I think we should just focus on looking for Tsukuyo-san and Katsura-san."

"And then we'll find out if they've saved Gin-chan yet," finished Kagura.

"Exactly," said Shinpachi as they turned a corner. "I think that-" He paused. "Whoa, what is that!?"

Shinpachi had come to a stop, and so had Kagura. Shinpachi was now pointing at something that lay on the floor towards the end of the hall. It looked like a body, and it lay still in what appeared to be a small pool of blood.

Kagura inched her way towards the body. "Hey, could that be…?"

"Katsura-san!" Shinpachi exclaimed, suddenly recognizing the body. He ran up to the samurai, Kagura following behind him.

"What's happened to him?" asked Kagura as they frantically knelt down next to him and sat him up. "His entire front is covered with blood!"

"He must have been attacked!" shouted Shinpachi. "Katsura-san?" he tried calling. "Katsura-san!"

"Shinpachi…" whispered Kagura, sounding a little scared, "Zura's not dead, is he?"

Shinpachi quickly searched the body for a pulse. He gave a small sigh of relief when he found it. "He's alive, just unconscious."

"Oh…good."

"But he is still extremely injured though," said Shinpachi, carefully examining the body. "It almost looks like he was cut right across the chest. And look at all of these other injuries too! We need to get him out of here and treat his wounds right away."

"Right," said Kagura with a nod. She helped lift Katsura off of the ground when a thought struck her. "But wait, what about Tsukky and Gin-chan?" We still have to find them, don't we?"

Shinpachi stared at her for a moment before looking down. "You're right, we have no idea if they might also need help. We really can't just leave without them…but still, we can't just leave Katsura-san here either."

"I'll find them," said Kagura suddenly.

"What?"

"You take Zura and go. I'll find Tsukky and Gin-chan."

Shinpachi was silent for a moment. "Are you sure about this? You'll be all by yourself, and you're covered in injuries too."

"So are you," she replied simply.

Shinpachi sighed. Truthfully, he did not really see any other way out of this situation. "Fine," he agreed, "I'll get Katsura-san out of the palace and I'll start tending to his wounds once we're safe. And you-"

"I'll find Tsukky and Gin-chan, grab them, and get out of here as fast as I can," said Kagura. "I promise."

Shinpachi smiled as he lifted Katsura onto his shoulders. "Alright, be careful then," he said as he turned to leave.

"Idiot, worry about yourself," she advised as she also turned away.

Without another word, Shinpachi started running back down the hall, heading for what would eventually lead to the front door. Kagura went in the opposite direction, making her way deeper and deeper into the heart of the palace…

* * *

**Well, hello! Wow, it has been a really, **_**really **_**long time since this story has been updated. It's been like what, a month? Six weeks or so? Wow, I really do owe you guys an apology. I'm sorry that this took so long! This should have been out ages ago, but unfortunately, certain circumstances prevented me from doing so. School and work have been keeping me busier than ever, and I just didn't have time for my story. Other things also distracted me and I procrastinated quite a bit. I know that you guys were really hoping for a quick update after the last chapter, but I was really slow on this one. I'm sorry. Please forgive me!**

**But hey, here it is, right? The chapter made it in the end, didn't it? I hope it was worth the wait. If not, well…I'm sorry again XD Anyways, let's talk about the chapter! Um…Gintoki said the F word. Nice, huh? XD I thought about censoring it, but then I said, "F*ck it!" and just went ahead and wrote it! Yes, I am such a rebel! A renegade! A very naughty author! Huh? Oh, I just censored it right there…um…yeah…I don't know XD**

**Next chapter: the Gintoki vs. Kamui finale! Expected release: uh…no promises! I'd honestly like to get it out a lot sooner than this one did, so we'll see! Let's hope for the best! Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts, comments, complaints, or a message forgiving the author for being late! That would be great! Please, do that! Until next time! Bye!**


	32. Book 2 - Chapter 18

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 18

Kagura dashed through hallway after hallway, frantically searching for her missing friends. _Where are they? _she wondered. _Zura was back there, so does that mean that Tsukky went on ahead? Did she keep going after Gin-chan? If so, where the hell would I be able to find them? I don't know my way around this place! I was only supposed to be the distraction!_

Something suddenly caught Kagura's attention as she came to a halt. She remained still as she strained her ears. She could hear something a little ways away…it almost sounded like the chaos of a fight…

_Someone's fighting!_ Kagura realized. _This way!_

Kagura took off down the hall, doing her best to track the sound of the fight to its source. She quickly did some thinking while she ran.

_If there is a fight going on, then it must be between someone from our side and someone from their side. That means that it could be Tsukky or Gin-chan fighting right now! That makes sense! I've found them at last! They're right in here!_

Kagura flew through the large doorway into an even larger room. She quickly skidded to a halt the moment she made it inside. She then glanced around, trying to find out what exactly was going on.

The room was huge. Bloodstains dotted the floor and there were even some on the walls. Some walls looked as though they had been crushed and one particular stretch had kunai scattered throughout it. It was obvious that somebody had been fighting in here.

Kagura then turned her head to the side and immediately noticed the disabled courtesan lying against the wall. All other thoughts were lost as she ran straight to her.

"Tsukky!" Kagura cried as she crouched down to look at her. "What happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?"

Tsukuyo stared at Kagura and weakly smiled. "Sorry, Kagura. I broke our promise..."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Tsukuyo blinked and strained to keep her eyes open. She had lost a lot of blood and she feared that she was close to losing consciousness. "I found Gintoki," she managed to mumble.

"Gin-chan?" asked Kagura desperately. "You found him? Where is he?"

Tsukuyo pointed behind the Yato girl. She turned and looked up.

There, up on the third floor balcony stood Gintoki and Kamui. Both men were breathing heavily as they faced each other. They held their weapons out in front of them, both ready to attack or defend at a moment's notice.

Kagura felt slightly relieved to see Gintoki again, but something else was calling her attention. Her brother Kamui stood directly across from him. The brother that she despised so much, standing right there in front of her, after all this time. The sight of him instantly sparked a rage deep inside of her that had been growing for some time now. She wanted nothing more than to go up there and fight him, to beat him senseless, to-

Tsukuyo coughed and the sudden noise snapped Kagura out of her angry state. She turned around to look at the courtesan once more.

_She's in a bad condition, just like Zura. We need to get her out of here and tend to her wounds as soon as possible. But still…_

Kagura faced forward again and yelled as loud as she could. "GIIIINNN-CHAAAANNN!"

Upon hearing the noise, both Gintoki and Kamui dropped their guard and turned to look for the source. Once they saw who was screaming, they each showed a new look of surprise.

"Heh, look who's here," said Kamui in a taunting voice.

"Kagura?" said Gintoki quietly.

"That's right!" Kagura screamed back. "I'm here!"

"What are you doing here?" Gintoki yelled down to her.

"I came here for you, you idiot!"

Gintoki wanted to yell back '_Why?'_ but refrained from doing so. He recalled that she had been part of the group that had originally come to save him from Kamui. He glanced over to Kamui for a moment. He didn't really need to be saved from fighting him anymore. However, what he did need was…

"Hey, Kagura, listen!" Gintoki started yelling again. "Forget about me! Just grab Tsukuyo and get out of this place!"

Kagura looked stunned for a second before she replied. "But…but what about you?"

"Didn't I just say to forget about me? I'll be fine! I just need you to get Tsukuyo to safety! _Please_!" he begged.

"But…" Kagura was still at a loss for words. "But we came here to rescue you! I can't just leave you behind! I can't just-"

"Kagura," Gintoki said softly.

Kagura immediately stopped talking and looked up at him. Gintoki stared right back into her eyes.

"Once I've taken care of Kamui, I will leave this place and come back to you guys. I promise. No matter what happens, I swear I will come back to you alive."

Kagura froze, not quite sure what to say. For some reason, she just knew that Gintoki was telling the truth. She could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. She knew that he would do whatever it would take to get back to them safely.

Kagura then found herself slowing nodding up and down. "Okay," she said quietly. "I'll do it. I'll take Tsukky out of here and I'll make sure that she is taken care of. Just make sure…make sure that you go through with your promise!"

Gintoki gave her a confident grin. "I will," he assured her.

Kagura quickly ran back to Tsukuyo and knelt down next to her once more. "Alright, Tsukky. I'll get us out of here and then Gin-chan will be right behind us."

Tsukuyo gave a small nod. She was still feeling rather faint.

Kagura did her best to carefully lift Tsukuyo up and position her behind her back. Once she was safely in place, Kagura started running for the exit. However, right as she was about to pass through, she paused.

Kagura turned around and gazed at Gintoki and Kamui once more. Before she could help herself, she discovered that she was screaming up at them once again.

"Gin-chan! Do whatever it takes to defeat him! Do you hear me!? I don't care what you do! Just defeat him! Whatever it takes!"

Gintoki glanced down at her, feeling a little confused. He was hoping that she would go on a little further and elaborate, but it looked like she was done speaking. Without another word, Kagura turned around and exited the room.

After that, the room was silent for a while. Kamui, who had yet to say anything since Kagura had initially arrived, suddenly produced one of his curious grins.

"It's the first time I've seen her in so long, and she didn't even say hello to me. Hmph, perhaps she has lost interest in me after all this time?"

Gintoki remained silent as he ignored Kamui's words. His mind was already busy trying to understand something else. The words that Kagura had just spoken to him…

"_Do whatever it takes to defeat him!"_

Gintoki was still confused. _What did she mean by that? Whatever it takes? I've already been trying my hardest against this guy…Hmm, it definitely seems like there is something there…something that she wanted me to know…_

Gintoki paused. _Wait, could it be…?_

Suddenly, a memory from long ago drifted into Gintoki's thoughts. It was the words that had been spoken to him by Kagura's father, the great Umibozu. It had happened right after the events of Hosen…

"_Kagura wants to save him…Despite all the badmouthing she does, she wishes for her brother to go back to how he used to be…"_

Gintoki was finally starting to make some sense out of Kagura's words. _Her dad said that she actually wanted to save Kamui. He claimed that she truly desired for Kamui to return to his old self. She never really wanted Kamui dead…that is, until…_

"_Do whatever it takes to defeat him!"_

Gintoki glanced at his opponent. _Is that what she meant? Is she saying that she is giving me permission to defeat Kamui for good? Is she saying that I'm allowed to kill her brother, if that is what it takes to win?_

Gintoki soon found himself releasing a sigh. _That poor girl. To have to choose between me and her brother, and to have chosen me…this entire thing couldn't possibly be easy for her to go through…_

"Well, I think it's fair to say that this fight has dragged on long enough," said Kamui, suddenly turning to face Gintoki again.

Gintoki snapped back to his senses. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he had almost forgotten that he was in the middle of a fight. He noticed that Kamui had raised his umbrella, and he was grinning from ear to ear.

"We've both sustained serious injuries up to this point. How about we settle things right here and now? Let's not stop until one of us drops. This will be it, the final clash between us. What do you say, Gintoki?"

Gintoki glared back at the boy as he tightened his grip on his sword. He wanted a little more time to himself in order to do some thinking, but he honestly had no reason to put this fight off any longer. After all, there was still a spark of rage burning within him…

"_You're on_," he muttered.

Kamui's grin somehow managed to grow wider. "Excellent. This is it then. We won't stop fighting until a victor is declared between us. Prepare yourself, I may come at you at any moment."

Kamui then lifted his umbrella up next to his head and held it at an angle that was parallel to his gaze. It was pointing directly at Gintoki, who had just warily raised his own weapon out of defense. He glared right back at the Yato.

_Hmm…so Kagura wants me to go for the kill, eh Kamui? I wonder what you would think about that…Hmph, you would probably find some way to twist it to your delight. You would be proud that your little sister desired to become a killer just like you…that she wants me to kill you…_

_But honestly, I'm not even sure if I want to kill you, Kamui…Well, it's not like I have the time to choose right now anyway. This entire battle will all be over in just a moment…_

Gintoki tightened his focus. Kamui remained still. The whole room went silent. Drops of blood slowly fell from the wounds of both men. It was so quiet that Gintoki could actually hear each drop hit the ground. His heart started beating fast…

_This is it…For some reason, I can tell that this will all be over in just a few minutes…_

_No…it will be shorter than that…this will all be over in ten seconds…_

_Drip. _A drop of blood hit the ground.

Kamui lunged forward for a stab at the samurai who twisted away at the last instant. Gintoki swung his sword as Kamui ducked below it. The Yato then smashed his umbrella directly into Gintoki's side. The force sent him flying through the nearby wall into an empty room.

Gintoki recovered by landing on his feet. Kamui flew into the room as Gintoki charged him. He threw another horizontal slice at him, but this time Kamui jumped over the samurai. Gintoki quickly turned around and thrust his blade at the still airborne Yato.

Without even thinking, Kamui grabbed the blade with his free hand and yanked it out of Gintoki's grip. Once the sword was free, Kamui quickly released it and the momentum from the yank carried the sword upward until it was firmly wedged in the ceiling.

Kamui landed on the floor and flashed an insane grin. _I've finally got him!_

Kamui swung his umbrella, while Gintoki suddenly produced a kunai in each hand. This small action caused Kamui to pause for the briefest of moments…

_He still has some of those from before!?_

This pause was all that Gintoki needed to complete his next attack. As Kamui swung the umbrella in a wide arc, Gintoki dropped beneath it and plunged a kunai into the each foot of the Yato. He forced the blades so far into the boy's feet that they even pierced into the floorboards beneath him.

_Now I've got you pinned!_

As Kamui winced from the pain, Gintoki took his chance to leap for the ceiling, where his sword was waiting for him. As soon as his hand closed around the hilt, Gintoki ripped it from the ceiling and began his descent.

_This is it!_

Kamui quickly recovered to find Gintoki rapidly falling towards him. He saw the samurai draw the sword back behind him in order to prepare for a final swing. Kamui tried to move, but his feet were stuck to the floor due to the kunai. At that instant, Kamui quickly chose the only option left to him. He too, drew back his weapon for a swing.

Gintoki instantly closed the distance between them. Each man swung his weapon in a desperate attempt to finish the fight. The blade and umbrella connected with a short but blinding shower of sparks.

In the instant after the weapons made contact, both Gintoki and Kamui were only able to make out two things of importance: Gintoki's sword had shattered into several large pieces and Kamui's umbrella had spun out of his grasp. Both men were essentially weaponless at this point…

However, Gintoki still had something worth using. It was the hilt of his sword, with just a small, jagged piece of the blade sticking out of it. Gintoki pointed the hilt out in front of him and took careful aim.

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The short piece of blade pierced the stunned Kamui's left arm. Gintoki quickly shifted all of his weight onto the hilt. He forced the broken weapon, along with Kamui's arm, all the way into the floorboards. Kamui fell onto his back as Gintoki landed on top of him. In addition to both of his feet, now Kamui's left arm was also pinned.

At this point, the only chance that Kamui had of fighting was to use his free right arm. However, he did not use it. Rather, he _could not _use it. Kamui was in shock. From the moment that the weapons had collided, Kamui had lost track of the fight. He was almost in a daze, simply following one step behind.

Gintoki, on the other hand, was the opposite. His desire to win, his desire to beat Kamui carried him through that last moment of the fight. Even now, Gintoki's body still seemed to be moving on its own. Almost as if past battles were being awakened inside of it…

And so it was that Gintoki instinctively reached out into the air and grabbed something. It was the tip of his blade that had just been shattered only a moment before. Without another thought, Gintoki brought the blade down and stabbed Kamui's last free limb. Just like the others, his right arm was now firmly pinned to the floor.

As soon as that happened, time seemed to start moving again. Kamui's umbrella fell to the floor a short ways away while the remains of Gintoki's sword clattered around them. Kamui was completely sprawled out on the floor, with a different blade sticking out of each arm and leg. Gintoki was crouched down above him, heavily panting.

"I…I did it," he said between breaths. "I won…this battle…is my…victory."

Gintoki looked down at Kamui. The Yato did not say a word. He simply stared up at the ceiling, completely motionless. It almost seemed like he was still trying to figure out what had just happened.

Gintoki pushed himself to his feet, and then glanced down at his pinned opponent. _You know, now would be the perfect time to finish him off for good…_

"I could kill you right now," he said out loud.

Kamui did not show any sign that he had heard him.

Gintoki paused, then gave a sigh. "I could kill you…_but _I've decided against it."

Gintoki paused again. Kamui still did not move.

"Honestly, even if I did want to, I don't have any means of killing you. My sword is in pieces and I'm all out of kunai. I suppose I could use one of the pieces of my broken blade, but stabbing you over and over with a jagged piece of metal seems a little too savage for me. Plus, you'd probably like to be killed like that, being the sick freak that you are…and I'd rather not give you the satisfaction."

At this point, Gintoki turned around, away from the motionless Yato.

"Also, despite what she says, I don't think that Kagura really wants you to wind up dead by my hands. Even though you're a ruthless killer, she still wants to see you go back to normal…So as a favor to her, I'll let you live, just this once…"

Gintoki slightly turned his head, and glared down at the boy.

"But listen up. If I ever see you again, I will _not_ hesitate to kill you. Consider this your last chance…"

Gintoki glared at him for a moment longer, but Kamui would still not stir. Gintoki took a deep breath and then faced forward again. He started walking for the wall that had just been blown apart a few minutes before. "Farewell," he said quietly.

"That was fantastic."

Gintoki stopped in his tracks. He turned around once more to find Kamui still staring at the ceiling. However, the difference was that the boy now had a wide grin on his face.

"Your victory, that is," Kamui continued. "That was very…cunning. Who would have thought that you would pin me limb by limb? Among all of the fights that I have ever been in, I have never seen something like that."

Gintoki wasn't quite sure what to say about this unforeseen praise, so he simply stayed silent.

"That was an amazing fight. Your skills and strength were on point. You were actually a real challenge. And just look at me! I was actually defeated! That is impressive! Very impressive! You were truly a worthy opponent…"

At this point, Kamui's eyes finally shifted away from the ceiling towards Gintoki. "You fulfilled your part of the deal splendidly. I could not have asked for a better fight from you. For that reason, it is now time that I uphold my part of the deal. Come here, there is something that I would like to give you."

Gintoki raised an eyebrow at this. "You're going to give me something?"

"Yes. Consider this a reward for securing your victory against me. You've certainly earned it."

With great effort, Kamui managed to bend his right arm over to his chest. The tip of the blade still held the limb securely to the ground, but it seemed like Kamui could still move it to some degree. Nevertheless, a fresh spurt of blood flew out of his arm in resistance.

As Gintoki began to wonder what sort of reward he could possibly receive, Kamui slowly reached his hand into his shirt…

* * *

Outside of the palace, the four remaining members of Gintoki's rescue team sat in silence on the front lawn. Katsura lay on the ground, still unconscious from before. Tsukuyo was now next to him, still fighting to remain awake. Shinpachi and Kagura sat on the ground in front of them, anxiously waiting for Gintoki.

"What's taking so long?" asked Kagura, desperately looking back at the palace behind her.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," said Shinpachi, also turning to look behind. "He wouldn't lose this battle. He'll come back to us any second now."

Kagura, who was still a bit anxious, faced forward and looked down at their two injured comrades. Shinpachi had done his best to bandage up Katsura with what little he had to work with, and when Kagura had arrived with Tsukuyo, he had done the same for her. Shinpachi had managed to stop the bleeding for the most part, but it was clear that it would not be enough. They would need to move their patients to a place where they could receive proper medical treatment soon.

_We honestly shouldn't wait too much longer _Shinpachi thought to himself. _I know that we want to make sure that Gin-san comes back to us, but we're running out of time. Katsura-san and Tsukuyo-san need help and we really shouldn't just be standing around here…_

"Kagura-chan," said Shinpachi softly. "Maybe we should consider leaving. I mean, we really need to get these two some proper medical care."

Kagura was silent at first before she answered. "No," she said firmly.

Shinpachi gave a small sigh. "Look, I want to wait for Gin-san too in order to make sure that he's safe, but we really don't have much time left. Maybe we should just get a head start, you know, just in case…"

"No, that won't happen," said Kagura in the same firm tone. "Gin-chan promised that he would come back to us as soon as he's done. He'll be here."

"It's true," said a new, quiet voice. Kagura and Shinpachi were startled at first, until they realized that it was actually Tsukuyo speaking.

"Tsukuyo-san?" asked Shinpachi. _She's still awake after all that?_

Tsukuyo weakly smiled before continuing in her faint tone. "You guys should know better than anybody that Gintoki keeps his promises. Besides, I heard him say it myself. He said he'd come back alive. Kagura is right. He will be here…"

The group went silent after this. Nobody seemed to have anything left to say. A few minutes went by while the three of them patiently awaited the arrival of their final companion, until finally…

"That's it," said Shinpachi as he rose to his feet. "We've given him enough time. We just can't wait any longer. We have to go now."

Kagura, starting to get angry, rose to her feet as well. "No! He said he'd be here! We just have wait a little bit longer!"

Shinpachi gave another sigh. "Look, Kagura-chan. I don't doubt that Gin-san will come back to us alive. I truly believe that he will. But the thing is, he's taking too long. He'll just have to catch up with us once we're done here."

"No! I won't do it! Gin-chan said that he was coming so I'm going to wait for him! You can leave on your own!"

Now Shinpachi was starting to get angry. "I can't take both Katsura-san and Tsukuyo-san with me by myself! They need help and they need us both to get them some!"

"They don't mind waiting just a little bit longer!"

"What are you talking about? Katsura-san is unconscious and Tsukuyo-san is almost there as well!"

"Sheesh, what's all this yelling about out here?" said a new voice from behind.

Both Shinpachi and Kagura whipped their heads around. There he was. He was bloodied and bruised, but he was there and still alive, with a small smile on his face.

"G-Gin-san!"

"Gin-chan!"

The next second, they were both crying and hugging their useless leader. Gintoki didn't resist, but simply continued to smile down at them.

"What's the matter?" he asked casually. "Don't tell me you actually thought that I wouldn't make it?"

"See? I told you he'd come back Shinpachi!" Kagura cried out.

"You bastard! What took you so long?" shouted Shinpachi.

"Sorry," said Gintoki, "I was just wrapping up some unfinished business, but that's not important right now."

The samurai managed to shake the kids off of him before moving towards Tsukuyo. Still smiling, he carefully leaned down and lifted her off of the ground. Tsukuyo's eyes drifted up to him, but she was having trouble keeping focused. She could feel herself finally slipping into unconsciousness. As her sight faded to black, the last thing she heard was Gintoki's calm voice speak out to them.

"Come on, let's all go back together…"

* * *

Back within the palace, Abuto stumbled into a room with a small group of Yato guards trailing behind him. He had just recently awoken after his defeat and had gone looking for his captain right away. Along the way, he ran into the small number of guards that now followed him. They were apparently the only ones that had not been taken out by the intruders and had recently been trying to locate the courtesan known as Tsukuyo.

Abuto continued hobbling into the room where his captain laid sprawled out on the floor before him. "Well, I must say, it looks like you've seen better days."

Kamui raised his head upon hearing the noise. "Oh, Abuto, it's you. I figured you'd be showing up here sooner or later."

Abuto stopped next to Kamui and glanced down at him. "What happened here? Did you end up getting the fight that you wanted?"

Kamui smiled. "Yes, Gintoki eventually resolved to fight with me."

"Forgive me, but would I be correct in assuming that it was your loss?"

"I'm afraid so," said Kamui, still smiling. "He's a sly one, that samurai."

Abuto crouched down next to Kamui and began inspecting his wounds. "Your left arm looks alright with just that blade sticking out of it, but your right arm looks like it was violently forced against this other blade…Also, your feet are in pretty bad condition. I'm guessing those kunai were roughly twisted around when you fell."

"It's pretty bad, huh?" asked Kamui casually.

"Yeah, but the damage shouldn't last. Us Yato are known to be incredibly fast healers, after all. I'd say you're probably going to be back to normal in about a week."

"Good to hear."

Abuto stood back up and waved the guards over to help release the captain from the floor. "By the way, captain, one of the guards just informed me that we've received a message through the communication device on our ship. Apparently it's from Shinsuke."

"I figured that this would happen sooner or later," said Kamui indifferently. "I'm guessing it's an order telling us to come back?"

"Seems likely…" said Abuto with a slight pause. "In any case, I think that it is time that we left. Our business in Yoshiwara is finished now, correct?"

"Correct," said Kamui as his men lifted him from the floor. "Let's quickly gather up whoever's left and let's go."

"Very well then," said Abuto as he began stumbling out of the room, his captain being carried alongside him. "By the way, I never did ask, but how was that fight? After all, that was the whole reason that we came here in the first place. Did you end up getting what you wanted?"

For the last time, Kamui produced another giant grin before he answered.

"It was better than I could have even hoped for."

* * *

**Hello everyone! I'm just here with another delayed chapter! That's right! Five weeks this time, I think! Yeah, I really am sorry that this took so long. The truth is, I kind of got distracted XD Now, I know what you're all probably thinking:**

"_**But Author-san, what could have possibly prevented you from writing such an amazing chapter aside from school, work, procrastination, social activities, homework, video games, and other day to day miscellaneous activities?"**_

**Ah, yes! A good question! A very good question! And I actually have an answer XD You see, I recently started reading a new manga series known as **_**Kingdom. **_**Let me just say, **_**holy shit**_**, this series is nothing short of AMAZING. It's so good that it's actually addictive. I have been completely wrapped up in this series for about a month now.**

**So I suppose I should tell you why **_**Kingdom **_**is so great and why you absolutely need to read it! Characters: Awesome. Artwork: Beautiful. Story: Intense! To explain a bit more, the story revolves around a war period in ancient China and a young swordsman's dream of becoming a great general. It may take a little while to get into it, but once you do you're hooked and you just can't stop reading! And then you start forgetting about writing fanfiction stories! (maybe that's just me XD)**

**But yeah, my words can't do **_**Kingdom **_**justice. I suggest you all go give it a try while you wait for me to continue my story. And let's be honest, we all know that it will be a **_**long **_**wait XD That means you'll have plenty of time to give it a try!**

**Also, one more recommendation before I shut up. Have you all been watching the new One Punch Man anime? It's AMAZING TOO! So good! Give it a try! Please, for me! I told you all back in Book 2 Chapter 4 that you would have to watch it when it came out so just do it already damn it!**

**Anyways, that's enough out of me for a chapter…or for a year…I'll just leave things off here! Please leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter! We're nearing the end of Book 2 folks! Yay! See you next time!**


	33. Book 2 - Chapter 19

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 19

Tsukuyo opened her eyes slowly. She had just woken up, and her senses were just now coming back into focus. She was lying down on a bed inside of a dim room. Upon trying to sit up, Tsukuyo realized that her left arm was in a cast. And not only that, but her body was also covered in bandages.

By the time that she actually managed to sit up, she had come to understand where she was. She was in a hospital and it was currently night, hence the darkness. She glanced out of a window that was off to the side.

_This hospital is on the surface, not in Yoshiwara. I can tell from the view out there. Also, it must be sometime early in the morning..._

At that moment, Tsukuyo heard a noise from off to her left. Somebody had just quietly opened the door and entered the room. Upon turning her head, Tsukuyo found a nurse walking up to her bed.

"Ah, so you're finally awake," the nurse said in a soft voice. "How do you feel?"

Tsukuyo paused to glance down at herself. "I feel fine," she replied quietly. "Where am I?"

"This is Edo Hospital. Your wounds were pretty severe when we checked you in. Your arm was broken, and you had several cuts and bruises that we had to treat too."

Tsukuyo looked out the window again. "How long have I been out?"

"Oh, a little over a day," said the nurse as she started looking at some papers. "Your friends brought you here early in the morning yesterday. You've been heavily sleeping ever since."

"My friends?" asked Tsukuyo, turning back to the nurse.

"Yes, those three right over there," said the nurse, pointing to a corner of the room that Tsukuyo had not looked at yet.

It was easy to glance over them in this dim lighting, but there they were. Shinpachi and Kagura were both sleeping with their heads facedown against a table. Gintoki sat in a seat near them, quietly snoozing with his arms crossed.

"They've been worried sick about you ever since they brought you here," continued the nurse. "They would barely even budge when we tried to treat their own wounds. They each insisted upon staying in here and watching over you. Especially that one with the white perm."

Tsukuyo suddenly started smiling. "Is that so?" she mumbled to herself as she watched the trio sleep.

"In any case," said the nurse, "now that you're awake, we should run some small tests on you, just to make sure that you're still healthy. We'll do it quietly though, and I'll keep the lights dim. After all, I think that your friends really need to get some rest."

Tsukuyo simply nodded as she continued smiling to herself. _They were all that worried over me, huh? Especially Gintoki…I'll have to talk to them once they all wake up…_

* * *

A few hours later, Tsukuyo had finished up with her tests and the sun had already started to rise. The nurse had left the room while Tsukuyo remained upright and patiently waited for the rest of the group to wake up. It was not much longer after that before they all began to stir.

"Ah, Tsukky!" cried Kagura as she sat up.

"Tsukuyo-san!" said Shinpachi, also starting to wake.

"Tsukuyo?" said Gintoki as he opened his eyes.

"You're awake!" Kagura shouted as she ran to her bedside.

Tsukuyo smiled at her. "That's right, I finally woke up."

"Man, we were worried sick about you," said Shinpachi as he joined Kagura.

"The nurse that was in here told me about that," said Tsukuyo, still smiling. "Thank you guys, I really do appreciate it."

Now, it was Gintoki's turn to join the group. He slowly walked up to Tsukuyo's side before looking down at her. "How do you feel?" he asked with the utmost concern in his voice. "Should I call the nurse back in to take a look at you?"

Tsukuyo wasn't sure why, but she almost felt like laughing. Maybe it was because she just seemed so happy at the moment. "I feel fine, Gintoki," she said pleasantly. "Besides, the nurse has already finished checking up on me. I've been up for hours."

"Oh good," said Gintoki with a sigh. "That's a relief."

Part of Tsukuyo wanted to just sit there and continue making idle chitchat with her friends, but another part of her was also dying to find out what she had missed since losing consciousness.

"So tell me," she said in a curious tone, "what happened after I passed out? What happened to Kamui? And is Yoshiwara still safe?"

"Whoa, calm down there," said Gintoki, holding up his hands in protest. "Don't start getting all riled up like that, it's not good for your recovery."

"Oh, be quiet Gintoki! Just tell me what happened!" said Tsukuyo urgently.

Gintoki crossed his arms disapprovingly, but nevertheless said, "Very well then, you guys fill her in."

"Well, to be honest, there's not all that much to tell," said Shinpachi. "After Gintoki escaped from the palace, we gathered up both you and Katsura-san and came straight here. We've been sitting in this hospital ever since."

"Katsura is in here too?" asked Tsukuyo.

"Yeah, he was badly wounded," explained Kagura. "Right now he's being treated in another room."

"I see," said Tsukuyo before moving on. "But what about Kamui? What happened to him?"

"He _escaped_," said Kagura in a slightly spiteful tone.

"We haven't heard anything about him," Shinpachi continued. "Gin-san reckons he left for good."

"And Yoshiwara?" asked Tsukuyo.

"From what we've heard, it's perfectly fine. We spoke to Hinowa-san over the phone. She said that she'd get everything in the city settled out before coming here."

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo let out a big sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens, it looks like we made it out okay."

"That's right," said Gintoki in a reassuring tone. "It may not have been easy, but it seems like we all managed to settle that situation out."

"Yes," said Tsukuyo, "and it couldn't have been done without you guys. Thank you all."

"It was nothing," said Kagura.

"We were glad to help," said Shinpachi.

Gintoki did not say anything, but simply stared at Tsukuyo instead. The room was silent for a while before Tsukuyo eventually spoke up.

"Gintoki," she said, turning to face him, "we need to talk."

Gintoki continued staring at her for another second before giving a sigh. "Well, I knew that this was coming sooner or later. Shinpachi, Kagura, get out."

"Huh?" said Kagura.

"You two leave the room," ordered Gintoki.

"But why do we have to-"

Kagura was interrupted when Shinpachi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Er, let's just go, Kagura-chan. I think they need to discuss some things."

Now it was Kagura's turn to let out a sigh. "Alright, _fine_."

"We'll be waiting in the hallway," said Shinpachi as he started leading the way out.

Gintoki and Tsukuyo did not say anything as they watched the kids go. Even after the door was shut behind them, the room still remained silent for a time.

Tsukuyo then took a deep breath before she started speaking. "Gintoki," she said calmly, "I need you to explain something for me. That night that you…broke up with me…well, what exactly was that all about? What happened between us?"

Gintoki was silent at first. He did not look at Tsukuyo when he eventually answered.

"The night before that one," he said quietly, "the night that I had agreed to fight with Kamui. That's where it all came from. That night, I had resolved to die in the upcoming fight. I planned to sacrifice myself fighting Kamui, and in-turn hopefully save everyone from his reach."

"So…I figured that if I was going to end up dead, you guys would all be against the idea of it. I knew you wouldn't let me go through with it. However, I honestly felt like I didn't have any choice. The offer to fight with Kamui seemed like the only way out of a hopeless situation. So, in the end, I knew that I would have to deal with you guys somehow. I started thinking that maybe you would all be better off if you didn't care so much about me, maybe even _hate _me…"

"So I made it my goal to get rid of you guys by doing some hurtful things. Anything that would make you truly wish death upon me, just so that you wouldn't have to mourn my loss. For Shinpachi and Kagura, I just left them a note telling them to get lost. And for you, well, you know…"

Gintoki went silent for a moment before he continued. "I'm sorry, Tsukuyo, I really am. The truth is that it was all just an act. All of it. I never wanted to break your heart. That was never my true intention. I was honestly just trying to protect you guys. I…I'm sorry I put you through something like that…"

Gintoki paused for a second before finally looking over to Tsukuyo. Surprisingly, her head was hanging down and it looked like tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Tsukuyo?" Gintoki asked softly.

"You idiot," Tsukuyo said quietly. She paused before finally looking up at him with a hurt expression. "Did you really think that we would be happy if you died?"

Gintoki didn't know what to say. In the end, all he could muster was, "Tsukuyo…"

Tsukuyo then started wiping her tears on her uninjured arm. "I mean, honestly, how stupid can you be? Trying to make us hate you by hurting us just so we wouldn't be hurt when you died? So _stupid_…"

When Tsukuyo was finished wiping her tears, she then looked at Gintoki with a firm glare. "Listen, Gintoki. No matter what you do, we will always care about you. We will never, ever 'wish for your death'. You should have known better than that."

Gintoki stared back at her before closing his eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just thought that I was-"

"Doing the right thing?" Tsukuyo finished for him. "Look, you said it was all an act, right? That you didn't truly mean what you said? In that case, it's like what I said back in the palace: I don't blame you. If you thought you were doing the right thing, and are sorry for what you did, then I will forgive you."

Once again, Gintoki was at a loss for words. He decided to just stay silent until Tsukuyo spoke up again, which was just a short moment later.

"So, uh…," she began awkwardly, "does this mean that, um…well…" She paused to take a deep breath before finishing. "Are we still together?"

Gintoki managed to produce a small smile. "Well, after everything that I've done to you, if you still want to be…"

Now Tsukuyo started smiling. "I do," she said firmly. "I still want to be together with you. And, well, after all, someone will have to keep an eye on you from doing stupid things like this in the future."

Gintoki's smile grew larger. "Then I guess you're the one for the job."

Before either one of them could see it coming, they were already kissing each other, silently apologizing and forgiving each other's mistakes through an act of love.

"Gintoki," Tsukuyo said eventually, "just don't ever do something like that again…"

* * *

Later that day, Katsura awoke inside of a different hospital room. Similar to Tsukuyo, he took his time trying to figure out what was going on. All he knew was that he was bandaged and lying in a bed.

"Ugh, where am I?" he asked as he sat up with a hand pressed against his head.

"You're in the hospital, fool," said a voice from beside him.

Katsura recognized the voice before he even turned to see who it was.

"I-Ikumatsu-dono!?" he exclaimed.

"That's right," said the woman known as Ikumatsu. She was Katsura's 'lady friend' who was also the owner of a well-known ramen shop. She was usually in good spirits, but at this time she appeared to be a little short-tempered with the man sitting in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Katsura asked her.

Ikumatsu crossed her arms. "Gintoki called me yesterday and told me that you had been seriously wounded and put in the hospital."

"Gintoki called you?" asked Katsura, sounding a little worried. "W-why would he do something like that?"

Ikumatsu gave Katsura a weird look. "He said that he thought that I might want to know that you had been injured. He thought that I would be concerned for you, and I was. I came here as soon as I could to check up on you, but you've been unconscious the whole time."

There was a silent moment in which Katsura did not reply. He simply sat there until Ikumatsu decided to continue speaking.

"So tell me, what stupid thing were you off doing this time?" she asked plainly. "Those wounds are nothing to laugh about."

"Well, uh, it wasn't anything too important," said Katsura coolly. "It's just as you said, we were just taking care of something stupid. It's really nothing that you should concern yourself over."

At this point, Ikumatsu gave a sigh. "I know what you're trying to say, but for some reason I just can't help but worry over an idiot like you." Then, before Katsura could even say anything, Ikumatsu had already risen to her feet. "If you really are fine though, then I think I'm going to head out."

"You're leaving?" asked Katsura, sounding a little surprised.

"Yes," she replied as she made her way to the door. "I've spent enough time here already, and you claim that you're okay, so there's really no point in me sticking around any longer."

Once she made it to the doorway, Ikumatsu paused and looked back to Katsura. "By the way," she said, "I took the liberty of covering your hospital bill. It's all paid up, so once you're done healing you're free to go."

"You what!?" demanded Katsura. "Why would you do such a thing!?"

"I did it because we're friends," Ikumatsu explained calmly. "And besides, it's not like I did it for free either. Once you're out of this hospital, I expect you to come over to my shop and work off your new debt. I may have covered you, but I still expect full payment."

Katsura wasn't quite sure what to say at first, but eventually managed to mutter, "Very well then."

"Good, I'll see you once you're out," said Ikumatsu as she turned to leave. And with that, she then exited the room without another word.

Katsura was left staring after her, simply looking at the now empty doorway. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel like he might have noticed a hint of a smile on her face right before she turned to leave…

However, Katsura had very little time to ponder this thought before someone else had appeared in the doorway. "Gintoki?" he asked, sounding surprised.

Gintoki hesitated in the doorway before taking a step into the room. "Hey," he said casually.

"You're here too!" Katsura suddenly realized. "So wait, then that means that Kamui was-"

"He's been taken care of," Gintoki explained. "We all made it out just fine. You and Tsukuyo got the worst of it, though."

"Tsukuyo is injured?" asked Katsura, sounding concerned.

"She's fine," Gintoki insisted. "She's in the other room and doing good. Shinpachi and Kagura are okay too."

"Well, that's good to hear," said Katsura with a sigh of relief. "Would you care to sit?" he asked, gesturing to the chair next to the bed.

"No, I don't plan on staying long," said Gintoki. "I actually just wanted to come over and apologize."

"Apologize?" repeated Katsura. "For what?"

"For what happened between us back at the palace," Gintoki explained. "You know, that small clash that we had right before you lost consciousness…"

"Oh, that…" said Katsura, starting to understand.

An awkward silence fell over the room…

"Look," said Gintoki, "I'm sorry about-"

"Forget it," Katsura interrupted him with a big smile. "I understand. Love can make a person do some crazy things…"

To Katsura's surprise, Gintoki actually gave a small smile in return. "Yeah, you're exactly right…" he said seriously.

Katsura didn't really know what to say to this. He had mostly been taunting Gintoki with his comment about love, but the man had actually taken it completely serious. It was not what Katsura had been expecting from him at all.

It was then that Gintoki turned around and started making his way out of the room. "Well, in any case, I still feel bad about the whole thing, so I'll try and find a way to make it up to you. Also, I'll send Shinpachi and Kagura down later to fill you in on the details of what happened while you were asleep."

Similar to Ikumatsu, Gintoki also paused once he reached the doorway and turned back around. "Oh, there's one last thing that I ought to tell you," he said, suddenly remembering.

"What is it?" asked Katsura curiously.

"You really owe Ikumatsu your thanks," said Gintoki seriously. "She probably didn't tell you this, but she was seriously worried about you. She's been taking care of you ever since you got here and I heard she never even left your side for a second."

"Oh…is that so?" asked Katsura, trying to sound casual.

"Yes, she really cares about you," Gintoki told him.

Suddenly, a smile broke out on Katsura's face. "Heh, well I guess I'll just have to find a way to repay her for her kindness then. Thank you for the information, Gintoki."

"Anytime," said the samurai as he went to exit the room.

"Oh, hey, Gintoki! Wait! There's one last thing I need to tell you too!"

Gintoki turned back around. "What is it?"

Katsura suddenly looked away from him. "I, uh…well, I just need to tell you something that I've actually been feeling kind of guilty about…"

"Yes?" inquired Gintoki.

"Um, while you were off at the palace, Tsukuyo kind of…well, gave me a kiss…"

Gintoki almost had to stop himself from laughing. "Er, is that all?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," said Katsura awkwardly. "I don't know why, I just didn't want to hide that from you…"

Now Gintoki was actually chuckling softly to himself. "Well, don't worry about it. It happened while we were still 'broken up' right? In that case, she was fair game."

At this point, Gintoki finally went to leave the room for good, but not before adding one last comment.

"Besides, I think that if there's anyone that you should confess that secret too, it would have to be Ikumatsu. I'll bet she'd be very surprised to hear you're getting kissed by the ladies, Zura."

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," said a flustered Katsura to a now empty doorway.

* * *

The rest of the day passed on in peaceful silence for the most part. Tsukuyo remained in bed the whole time while Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Kagura kept her company. Eventually, night fell over the city and the group all decided to call it a night. Well, all except for one of them, that is…

It was the middle of the night and the room was dimmed once again. Strangely enough, Tsukuyo had just woken up after feeling someone gently pushing on her side.

"Tsukuyo," said a soft voice from beside her. "Hey, Tsukuyo, wake up."

Tsukuyo opened her eyes to see who it was. "Gintoki?"

"Oh good, you're awake," he said calmly.

"It's the middle of the night…" Tsukuyo told him drowsily. "What do you want?"

"Sorry," Gintoki apologized, "this will be quick, I promise."

"What is it?" Tsukuyo lazily demanded with a yawn.

"Well," he began, "I was just awake and was doing some thinking…and, well, I really need to ask you something important."

Tsukuyo gave him an irritated look. "Couldn't this have waited until morning?"

Gintoki paused before replying. "Not really…"

Tsukuyo gave a sigh. "Fine, what do you want to ask me?"

"Well…do you remember what you said to me on Valentine's evening? You know, right before I, uh, walked out the door…"

Tsukuyo took a second to recall what he was talking about. It was not too hard for her to remember, especially since she had replayed that entire night over and over again in her head. Tsukuyo quickly tried to think of the comment that Gintoki was referring to.

"_I love you…you're the only man I've ever loved…and I'm willing to love you forever…"_

"You mean how I said I loved you and all that?" Tsukuyo asked him.

"Yes," said Gintoki, glad that she knew what he was talking about. "Well, uh, I just wanted to ask…did you really mean that? You know, what you said?"

Tsukuyo stopped halfway through another yawn, as she was caught off-guard by the question.

_Did I mean what I said? That's what he's asking?_

Tsukuyo took a moment to consider her answer. _Well, to be honest, I was kind of desperate when I yelled all that stuff out at him. At the time, I was just trying to stop him from leaving me. But, I don't think that it would be entirely untrue to say that those words express how I really feel about Gintoki…_

"Yes," Tsukuyo told him, "I meant every word of it."

"You did?" whispered Gintoki, sounding surprised. He immediately turned his head away from her and appeared to enter a state of deep thought. "I see," he mumbled to himself.

Tsukuyo sleepily watched him for a few seconds until she couldn't help herself any longer. "Gintoki, if that's all, can I go back to sleep now?" she asked with another yawn.

"Huh?" said Gintoki, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah, go ahead and get some rest. Sorry for disturbing you."

"No problem," Tsukuyo mumbled as she attempted to drift off to sleep once more.

Gintoki, on the other hand, remained awake and simply continued his thinking…

* * *

The next day, Hinowa and Seita arrived at the hospital in order to visit Tsukuyo and the rest of the group. After making sure that their friends were okay, Hinowa began filling them all in on what had happened in Yoshiwara after Kamui's disappearance.

"Once I had the details of your guys' story, I informed all of the citizens about what had just happened," Hinowa explained. "I told them that Kami was actually a disciple of Hosen in disguise who had unfortunately been using Yoshiwara for his own personal reasons. They didn't really take the news lightly…"

"I'll bet they didn't," said Tsukuyo from her bed. "They all loved 'Kami-sama'."

"Yes, they did," Hinowa continued. "However, I explained that the leader of the Hyakka and the savior of Yoshiwara had made an attempt to remove Kami from power and had succeeded in doing so."

"She's talking about you guys!" Seita exclaimed excitedly to Tsukuyo and Gintoki.

"So what's happening down there now?" asked Gintoki.

"Well, Yoshiwara is now once again in the beginning stages of adjusting to life without an overlord. Honestly, we're just doing our best to return to how things used to be before 'Kami' ever showed up."

"So things will go back to normal then?" inquired Shinpachi.

"Yes, Yoshiwara is once again a free city," said Hinowa triumphantly.

"Glad to hear it," said Tsukuyo with a relaxed smile.

"But still," said Hinowa, suddenly producing a small frown, "it's clear that this whole fiasco has shaken the entire city up. I think that most of the citizens are worried that something like this will happen again. And to be honest, I can't help but worry about Yoshiwara's future too…"

"But wait, Yoshiwara is done with overlords for good now, isn't it?" asked Kagura.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Gintoki suddenly from across the room. To everyone's surprise, he had a small grin on his face. "If you ask me, it won't be long now before another overlord of Yoshiwara comes to power."

Tsukuyo gave him a weird look. "What are you talking about, Gintoki?"

"Another overlord?" repeated Hinowa.

"Perhaps I should explain," said Gintoki as he rose to his feet. "Take a look at this," he said as he reached a hand inside of his shirt. A moment later, Gintoki pulled out what appeared to be a small canister-like cylinder. He calmly popped the top off of the cylinder like a lid before shaking a roll of paper out of it. He then set the cylinder off to the side as he began unraveling the roll of paper.

Once he was finished, he held the flat piece of paper up for the entire room to see. "I present to you all, the official deed to the city of Yoshiwara."

Everybody aside from Gintoki was completely stunned. It was true; the actual document that granted ownership of Yoshiwara was resting in Gintoki's hands.

"G-Gintoki!" Tsukuyo stuttered. "How did you get that? I thought that Kamui had it!"

"He did," Gintoki replied casually.

"But then," said Hinowa, "how did you-?"

"It was easy," explained Gintoki, still grinning. "Kamui actually handed it over to me after our fight."

"He…he did?" asked Shinpachi.

"Why would he do something like that?" demanded Kagura.

"He claimed that is was my reward for defeating him," said Gintoki. "It was also part of our deal. I agreed to fight him as long as he agreed to leave Yoshiwara alone afterwards. Kamui said that he no longer had a use for the city, so he just gave it to me as a prize."

The room went silent. This piece of news was so farfetched that the rest of the group was having a hard time believing it. However, the evidence in Gintoki's hands clearly showed that he was telling the truth.

"Wait a minute, Gin-san," Seita piped up from across the room. "If you have the deed, then does that mean that you're…?"

Hinowa gave a gasp. "Gin-san? Yoshiwara's new overlord?"

The rest of the room also gave a gasp as the news started to sink in.

"No way!" Kagura was shouting. "_No way!_"

"Hinowa-san! You can't let this happen!" shouted Shinpachi.

"Yeah!" agreed Kagura. "You can't let this big idiot be in charge of your city!"

"He can barely handle a three-person odd jobs business by himself!" said Shinpachi. "Letting Gin-san be the new overlord is a terrible idea!"

Hinowa looked stunned. "Well, I, uh…"

"Gin-chan will run Yoshiwara into the ground! Right, Tsukky? Say something!" Kagura shouted, turning to the courtesan for support.

"Um, well, how bad could it be?" asked Tsukuyo with a small hint of doubt in her voice.

"It will be awful!" Shinpachi shouted. "Listen, we've been working for this guy for years now and-"

"Alright, that's enough! Be quiet!" Gintoki screamed from across the room. Everybody immediately went silent and turned to him, waiting for him to speak.

"Look," he said calmly, "you don't have to worry about any of that, because I'm not interested in being Yoshiwara's new overlord."

"You…you're not?" asked Kagura.

"No. Honestly, I think that someone else is far better suited for the job." At this point, Gintoki stopped talking and walked across the room until he stood right in front of Hinowa. "I think you should be the new overlord," he said to her.

"M-Me?" stuttered Hinowa out of surprise.

"Of course," said Gintoki. "Who cares about Yoshiwara more than you? I know that you won't use the position of overlord for your own personal reasons, but rather use it instead for the good of the city. I know that Yoshiwara will be better off in your hands."

The rest of the group was quiet as they each considered Gintoki's words. Surprisingly, what he was saying made a lot of sense. Hinowa could end up being a right fit for the ruler of the city.

"However," Gintoki suddenly continued, "I don't just plan on handing the city over to you. This document right here is valuable, and I earned it myself. I can't just give it away without receiving something in return."

Tsukuyo gave Gintoki a hard stare. _Is he talking about a...?_

"I want a trade," said Gintoki adamantly. "Believe it or not, you actually have something that I want, so I'm willing to trade this deed over in exchange for it. What do you say?"

Hinowa stared at Gintoki for a long time before eventually taking a deep breath. "Very well, what do you want?"

Instead of giving a direct response, Gintoki just gave her another grin. He gestured towards the door. "Let's discuss this privately, out in the hallway."

Hinowa continued staring at him. "Fine," she said.

"Great, we'll be back in a few minutes," Gintoki called as he lead the way out the door, Hinowa wheeling herself behind him.

Once the door was shut, the remaining group members tried to speculate as to what Gintoki could possibly want from Hinowa, but they all came up with blanks. They didn't know what it could be, but their curiosity was growing with each passing minute.

Eventually, the door reopened and Hinowa wheeled herself in with a large smile on her face. She then held up the piece of paper in her hand.

"I've got it," she said, "the official deed to the city of Yoshiwara. It's ours now."

As she finished speaking, a rather dejected looking Gintoki came in and took a seat next to Tsukuyo's bed. The group simply watched him in silent curiosity before Shinpachi eventually spoke up.

"So then, you actually traded it, huh Gin-san?" he asked.

Kagura then asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "What did you get for it?"

Upon hearing this, Gintoki just gave a small smile. "Oh, nothing really. It was just something far more valuable then some old city."

Everyone looked at him, a little confused by his words. It was then that Hinowa cheerfully chimed in.

"You know Gin-san," she said with a small giggle, "if I had known that you had wanted _that_, then I would have gladly given it to you for free."

Now everyone was truly confused, and they continued glancing back and forth between Gintoki and Hinowa, hoping for more information. However it seemed like neither one wanted to reveal anything further, so they simply stayed quiet about it. Hinowa just continued strangely smiling to herself while Gintoki folded his arms and closed his eyes, possibly upset about receiving something that he could have had for free the entire time…

* * *

**Wow, what a **_**long **_**chapter. My longest one yet, in fact! There was so much that I wanted to fit in here, I just couldn't help myself. But, hey, who cares, right? You guys love long chapters. It means more content ;)**

**Hey, the Shogun Assassination Arc will be animated soon! Really soon! In fact, the first episode will probably already be out by the time this chapter is released! Well, whatever! I'm so hyped for it! I can't wait to see it! :D**

**But, on the other hand, the timing for that arc is way off XD I honestly wish that the anime had pushed this arc back until all of the other content was animated first. I really think that the anime is going to write itself into a corner with this one, and that makes me worried -.-'**

**BUT for the time being I've decided to just enjoy the arc for what it is! I'll worry about all that other stuff later! For now, let's all just enjoy the upcoming animation of this amazing Gintama arc. (Thank you Gorilla Author!)**

**Anyways, back to **_**my **_**story. Um…it's almost over! Book 2, that is. Yeah, the finale is next chapter. That's right, Silver Moon Book 2 ends next chapter! Wow! I've actually made it that far! No, **_**we've **_**made it that far! Let's give this book a good ending next chapter! I'll make sure we're all set up for Book 3!**

**Oh, uh…by the way, we're going to Book 3 next…if you didn't know…**

**That's a good place to wrap things up! Thank you all so much for reading! Please leave a review encouraging me to hurry up with that finale! Rally me people! XD I'll see you all next chapter, the Book 2 finale! **


	34. Book 2 - Chapter 20

**Thank you all so much for reading my story! Thank you to everyone who reviews, follows, and favorites! You guys are the ones that help carry me through this! It's because of all of you that I feel encouraged to keep writing! So thank you! Now please enjoy the final chapter of Book 2!**

Silver Moon – Book 2 Chapter 20

_One Month Later…_

It was a warm, sunny morning in March. As Tsukuyo walked through the streets of Edo, she couldn't help but notice what a lovely day it was. She had been released from the hospital a couple of weeks ago, and the cast that had covered her arm had just recently been removed. Tsukuyo smiled to herself. She was perfectly healthy once again.

Right now, Tsukuyo was currently heading for Gintoki's place. Just the night before, he had requested that she come he see him the next day, but he had refused to give a reason as to why.

_I wonder what the sudden invitation is all about _Tsukuyo thought to herself.

"_It's a surprise,"_ he had said.

Tsukuyo simply pondered this as she walked. _A surprise, huh? Well, knowing Gintoki, that could mean just about anything…_

Tsukuyo's thoughts were cut short as she arrived at the street where Gintoki lived. Without hesitating, she walked right up to the building and climbed the stairs leading to the second floor. She then knocked on the front door and awaited a response.

It was not long before the door opened and Gintoki stuck his head out. He stared at Tsukuyo for a second. "Oh, good, you're here," he said casually. "Come on in."

"Thanks," said Tsukuyo as she entered the apartment. Gintoki closed the door behind her before he started walking down the hallway. Tsukuyo followed behind him.

"So, tell me," she said, "what's up with the sudden invitation?"

Gintoki looked back at her. "It wasn't a problem, was it?"

"No," said Tsukuyo, "I was just curious is all."

"Well, we'll get to that in a little bit," he said, facing forward again. "For now, let's just chat."

"You want to talk?" asked Tsukuyo as the both of them arrived in the living room.

"There's just one thing that I wanted to ask about," said Gintoki as he gestured to one of the couches. "Go ahead and sit if you like."

Tsukuyo sat down and Gintoki soon took the seat beside her. "Alright," she said, "what do you want to know?"

Gintoki stared at her for a second before giving her a smile. "I just wanted to ask about how Yoshiwara is doing. Is their new overlord working out for them?"

Tsukuyo smiled back. "You mean Hinowa? Yeah, she's doing great, and so is the city."

Tsukuyo paused for a second as she stared off to the side. "It's funny," she said. "Even though Hinowa is technically the new 'overlord', nobody actually treats her like that. All of the citizens respect her exactly the same as they always have. I guess you could say it's like she's always been the true overlord of the city; it just hasn't been made official until now."

Gintoki continued smiling. "So then, we probably don't have to worry about her taking advantage of the city like everyone else before her?"

"No," said Tsukuyo with a small laugh. "Hinowa is using her power only to help find ways to improve the city. She wants to do as much as she can for Yoshiwara. She truly loves that city…In a way, it's almost like she has been a mother to Yoshiwara and its citizens. She's always been looking out for the welfare of everyone there. I really do think that she'll be a good fit."

Tsukuyo paused for a second before turning back to Gintoki. "And by the way," she said with a smile, "you're wrong about what you said just now. Not everyone before Hinowa has taken advantage of the city."

Gintoki gave her a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about _you_," she said with a warm smile. "Believe it or not, you held the power to control Yoshiwara in your hands too, even if it was for a short time. I mean, sure, Hosen abused his power and so did Kamui, but you didn't. You put Yoshiwara in the hands of someone who could really take care of it. It was all thanks to you, you know."

Gintoki stared at her for another moment before turning away and scratching the back of his head. "Well, it sounds great and all when you say it like that, but I didn't really do anything that special. I just passed the responsibility on to someone else."

"Yeah, and you chose a damn good person to give it to, now didn't you?" Tsukuyo asked him.

"Well…"

"Face it, Gintoki," Tsukuyo continued. "No matter how you look at it, Yoshiwara owes its life to you. Just think about it, where would the city be without you, oh great savior of Yoshiwara?"

Gintoki crossed his arms as he looked at her. "I couldn't have possibly saved the damn city that many times," he said in disbelief.

"Five," said Tsukuyo bluntly.

"Huh?"

"That's how many major incidents you've saved us from. Five."

Gintoki unfolded his arms. "There's no way it's that many," he said defiantly.

In response, Tsukuyo simply leaned back and started counting each incident with her fingers. "You freed the city from Hosen and the endless night that it was trapped in. You stopped Jiraia from staging an attack on the city. You helped stop that pig Sadasada from going after Yoshiwara _and _you helped Suzuran reunite with her lover one last time. After that, you helped us deal with that love potion that was causing chaos throughout the city. And finally, there's this last incident with Kamui."

Tsukuyo paused for a second. All five of her fingers were up. "That makes five, Gintoki."

Gintoki gave Tsukuyo a slightly annoyed look upon hearing all of this. "Look," he said, "if you thought that I was doing all of that stuff for anyone but myself then you-"

Gintoki's words were cut short as Tsukuyo suddenly pressed her lips against his. After a moment, she pulled away.

"Would you just shut up and let me say thank you?" she asked, sounding slightly annoyed herself. "I mean, honestly, why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

Gintoki stared at her before eventually turning his head away in frustration. "Whatever," he said, "let's just leave it at that."

Tsukuyo started smiling once again. "Heh, fine with me," she told him.

After that, the room went silent. Gintoki slowly turned his head to glance at Tsukuyo for a second before shifting his gaze to the floor.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" he asked quietly. "You know, letting Kamui get away…"

Tsukuyo stared at him for a moment before giving a sigh. They had already discussed this topic before, but it seemed like Gintoki was still having second thoughts.

"Look," said Tsukuyo, "you said that it felt like the right choice at the time, right? And we all still made it out alive, even if you didn't kill him."

"I suppose…" said Gintoki, still staring at the floor.

"Your choice was perfectly fine, Gintoki. So you decided to show the guy a little mercy, so what? If anything, your good will might have rubbed off on him."

Gintoki looked over to Tsukuyo. "Yeah…but I just can't help but think that maybe we would all be better off if he was gone for good."

Tsukuyo closed her eyes for a moment. "Fine, just kill him next time then," she said simply.

Upon hearing this, Gintoki was surprised to find himself smiling. "Hey, it's not exactly that easy, you know."

"Well, just stop worrying about it," Tsukuyo told him. "We're all safe and Kamui is gone. That should be more than good enough for us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," agreed Gintoki.

Tsukuyo looked over to him. "Do you feel a little better now?"

"Yes, thank you," Gintoki replied. "I'm glad that we could talk about this. After all, I can't really discuss it with Shinpachi and Kagura…"

Tsukuyo gave a nod to show that she understood. After Gintoki's fight with Kamui, Gintoki had told everyone else that the Yato had managed to escape on his own. He had not told the rest of them that he had intentionally decided to let his opponent live. Tsukuyo was the only person that he had actually shared the truth with. Gintoki had later explained to her that he wanted to keep that detail a secret to Kagura, since his decision to let Kamui live had been partly for her sake. He thought that his decision might have made Kagura feel guilty, so he simply decided to just keep it a secret instead. Tsukuyo had also promised to keep this detail a secret from the others, and it was because of this that she was the only person who could truly discuss the matter with Gintoki.

Once they were done talking, Tsukuyo looked around for a moment before realizing something. "By the way, where are Shinpachi and Kagura?" she asked the samurai curiously.

"Oh, that's right," said Gintoki, sounding surprised. "I just remembered why I asked you to come over in the first place."

"And why is that?" Tsukuyo asked.

Gintoki smiled at her. "I wanted to give you your Valentine's Day gift."

"Valentine's Day?" she repeated out of surprise. "But Gintoki, that was nearly-"

"A month ago, I know," he finished for her. "But it's better late than never right? Besides, I promised everyone that I would get you something, so I kind of have to go through with this."

At this point, Gintoki got to his feet. "Anyways, I figured that now would be the best time to do it since your wounds have healed."

Tsukuyo stared at him warily. "Uh…it is?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said as he started walking towards his desk. "This is also the reason why I made Shinpachi and Kagura leave the house. We're going to want to do this privately, after all."

Tsukuyo felt her heart plummet into the bottom of her stomach. "N-Now wait a second, Gintoki!" she said, also rising to her feet. "A-Are we really going through with this?"

"Of course," he replied casually. "I just explained all of that, didn't I?"

Tsukuyo could feel herself start to sweat as she took a gulp. _I…I don't believe this! _she screamed in her head. _THIS is what Gintoki's gift is? Were Shinpachi's and Kagura's initial suspicions actually correct? Gintoki wants to…do that…with me?_

Tsukuyo could feel herself heavily blushing. "Now hold on, Gintoki!" she screamed again as she pointed at him. "I…I hope you've thought this through! I mean…we have to, uh…be responsible and use protection and-"

"What are you talking about?" asked a confused Gintoki as he looked up from his desk.

"I'm talking about-"

Tsukuyo cut herself short as she took a proper look at Gintoki. He was currently searching through one of his desk drawers, clearly looking for something. Tsukuyo quickly realized that he was actually searching for her gift, meaning that it wasn't the thing that she had been lead to believe…

Gintoki was still staring at her, and Tsukuyo could still feel herself blushing.

"I, uh…never mind…" she said awkwardly.

Gintoki just gave her another confused look before shrugging and returning back to searching through his drawer. A minute later, he found what he was looking for.

"Ah, here it is," he said as he pulled something small out of the drawer. He quickly concealed it behind his back before slowly approaching Tsukuyo.

"Well, sorry it's late," he said, "but here it comes."

Gintoki then took a deep breath before surprisingly dropping to one knee…

He pulled a tiny box out from behind his back and slowly opened it to reveal a small silver ring inside.

"This is yours, if you want it…" Gintoki said sweetly. "Tsukuyo, will you marry me?"

_W-What…?_

Tsukuyo was completely stunned. "I…I, uh…"

Tsukuyo had to force herself to stop uttering nonsense and take a second to wrap her head around the situation. _Is this for real?_ she wondered. _Did Gintoki really just…propose? To me!?_

Tsukuyo looked down at the man. "G-Gintoki," she stuttered. "Are…are you being serious right now?"

"Of course I am," he replied calmly.

Tsukuyo felt like she was caught off guard. "B-but, how did…why…what?"

Gintoki laughed a little at her confusion. "Listen," he said, "I know that we haven't been together that long, and I know that this isn't necessarily my style, but something about it just seems right…I've never felt like this about anyone before. And I know you haven't either…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Tsukuyo, still confused.

"Remember when I woke you up that one night in the hospital? And I asked you if you really meant what you had said to me? That's when I knew. I knew that it would not be a mistake to spend the rest of my life with you."

Tsukuyo was now starting to feel overwhelmed by all of this. "You…you've been thinking about doing this since way back then?"

Gintoki looked off to the side. "Well, since before then, actually…"

It took a moment for Tsukuyo to realize what he was talking about. "N-no way," she said. "You mean…back on Valentine's Day? This was what you were planning for back then?"

Gintoki gave a sigh and then smiled. "Yes, but I wasn't nearly as confident in that decision as I am now."

Tsukuyo, still feeling overwhelmed, started desperately looking around for something else to discuss. Her eyes eventually fell on the silver ring in front of her.

"And what about that?" she asked, pointing at it. "Where did you get that?"

"I asked the blacksmith Tetsuko to make it for me," Gintoki explained patiently. "She agreed to do it as a favor for me. And here it is, a plain silver ring. It's simple, but it works for me."

Tsukuyo continued staring at the ring. The simplicity of it did seem to hold a certain charm to it…

"Aside from that," Gintoki suddenly continued, "I even took the liberty of purchasing your contractual freedom from Yoshiwara."

Tsukuyo looked up at him. "What? You…how could you-?"

Gintoki grinned. "Remember the deed to Yoshiwara?"

Tsukuyo's mouth fell open. "You didn't…"

"I did," he replied. "I told Hinowa that she could have the deed if I could buy your freedom in exchange. She happily agreed, only to tell me later that she would have given it to me for free…but, that's not important right now…"

"Tsukuyo," he said firmly, grabbing her attention by staring right into her eyes. "We've spent a lot of time together already, and I'm willing to let it grow. After seeing how much you care about me, and after realizing how much I care about you, this is the only satisfying conclusion that I can come up with. If you agree, then I want to spend the rest of my life with you…"

He paused for a second. "I'll ask this one more time," he said with sincerity in his voice. "Tsukuyo, will you marry me?"

Before Tsukuyo could even wonder what to say, she realized that tears had begun to form in her eyes. This seemed to be a natural occurrence nowadays, ever since she started hanging around Gintoki so much. What was it about this idiot that drove her to tears so often?

_This is love _Tsukuyo thought to herself with a small smile. Deep down, she already knew the answer that would make her happiest…

"Yes," she finally replied. "Yes, I will marry you, Gintoki."

Gintoki's smile grew wider. "That's what I was hoping to hear," he said as he got to his feet. He carefully pulled the ring out of the box before extending his arm out to Tsukuyo. "Give me your hand," he told her.

Tsukuyo silently obliged as she tried to wipe her tears with her free hand. Gintoki took her hand before gently sliding the silver ring onto her finger.

"This is yours now," he said sweetly.

"Th-thank you, Gintoki" Tsukuyo replied quietly. She glanced at her hand for a second before reaching out and pulling Gintoki closer.

They then embraced each other with a long, passionate kiss, silently signifying the beginning of a new life together for the both of them…

Book 2 End

* * *

**So that's it! I finally finished up Book 2! It took me forever to get here, but I made it! We all made it! Thank you all so much for constantly encouraging me to continue writing! I couldn't have made it without you guys! SO THANK YOU!**

**Anyways, let's talk about the chapter. Um…can broken arms heal in a month? XD And how many times has Gintoki saved Yoshiwara? Was it really five? XD That's what I came up with after a little brainstorming.**

**But who cares about that? What about the big 'proposal'? Did that shock you guys, or were you expecting it? I think some of you were. I have been hinting at it throughout the entire arc, after all. I just hope that it didn't seem like it was too fast/too soon. I think I explained some of the reasoning behind it anyway XD**

**In other news, lately I've been thinking about what to name my books/arcs. Here's what I've considered: Book 1 could be the "Secret Relationship Arc" and Book 2 could be the "New Overlord Arc"…which means that now, Book 3 will have to be the "Wedding Arc". That's right; Book 3 will focus on the new upcoming wedding. I'll bet you'd all like to get a preview on what to expect. Well, you're in luck :) Here it is:**

_Gintoki and Tsukuyo are preparing to be wed. Many people are happy for the couple, but Kagura is actually upset with the thought of Gintoki leaving her and Shinpachi. Things get worse once a demon from the past arrives, planning on destroying everything important to Gintoki..._

**And that's it! This will be the new updated summary for the story once Book 3 comes out. By the way, somebody asked me what genre Book 3 will have. They asked if it will focus on action, drama, or romance. Personally, I think that the answer is that it will have a good mix of all three! So, you can expect all of this to come in the new arc!**

**So now for the next question: when will Book 3 come out? Well, I'd actually like to get started on it as soon as possible! All I need to do is complete an outline for Book 3 and then I can start writing more chapters! And how long will that take? Um…probably a couple of weeks, if I had to guess. So yeah, you can expect Book 3 in the near future!**

**And I think that's it! I've covered everything that I need to for now. So…now it's your turn! Please write a review of the story letting me know your thoughts on Book 2! Let me know what you liked and didn't like about this arc! And also tell me your thoughts on the upcoming Book 3!**

**Once again, thank you all so much for reading! It means a lot to me! The next time I see you will be in Book 3, so look forward to it! That's all for now! Goodbye!**


	35. Book 3 - Chapter 1

"_P.S. Just carry on to the book 3 after you finish this arc. XD"_

"_Can't wait 'til your next arc!"_

"_Well as long as there's a lot of Gintsu interaction, I will love it!"_

"_Looking forward to book 3!"_

"_Can't wait for book 3."_

"_The next arc sure has me hyped! GinTsu forever :D"_

"_Tears of joy woahhhhhhh finally! I can't wait."_

"_I'm looking forward to the next book and can't wait for it!"_

"_J'attends avec impatience le livre 3" (I look forward to the book 3)_

"_I'm really really really really really looking forward to book 3, I just hope you'll start releasing soon, and that there will be more books afterwards and that even when the Gintama Manga/Anime ends, your story will last forever, zuuuuuuuto!"_

**Well, you asked for it, so here it is ;)**

* * *

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 1

_3 Months After the Events in Book 2…_

It was a hot summer day in the middle of June. The sky overtop of Yoshiwara was perfectly clear and the city was bathed in sunlight. Most of the citizens were currently outside, taking the opportunity to relax and enjoy the nice weather. Despite this, however, there were still two citizens that chose to remain indoors…

Tsukuyo was quietly snoozing with her head facedown on the table in front of her. Hinowa glanced over at her and smiled as she watched the courtesan peacefully sleep.

_It's not surprising that she's so tired right now _thought Hinowa. _After everything that she's been through in the last few weeks, she really does deserve a little rest…_

It was true. Tsukuyo had been incredibly busy over the past couple of weeks in preparation for an upcoming ceremony. She was getting ready to be married to her fiancé, Gintoki. Needless to say, the preparation for such an event required an exhausting amount of work to be done. And, seeing as Tsukuyo played a majorly important role in this event, it was not surprising that she became responsible for most of it. Not only did Tsukuyo have to plan everything out, but she also had to put it all together too.

Although, it was not as if she was doing it without help. Gintoki had also taken a big part in the planning and Hinowa had been more than happy to lend the couple a hand. The three of them had all managed to start throwing the ceremony together without too much trouble.

However, this was not the only thing that had made Tsukuyo so tired. In addition to the preparation of her wedding, Tsukuyo had started taking several private lessons with Hinowa on how to become a proper wife. Hinowa had thought that it would be essential to learn some simple household skills for when the couple would be living on their own, so she insisted that Tsukuyo take lessons on basic cooking and cleaning, among other important things. When the two of them had time to spare, Hinowa would try her best to teach Tsukuyo everything she knew.

And, if all of that hadn't been keeping the poor girl busy enough, she still had to uphold her primary duty of leading Yoshiwara's police force as well. Tsukuyo was responsible for protecting the city, after all. She couldn't always just skip out on the job whenever she felt like it. The Hyakka needed her there, so Tsukuyo would just have to be there.

In any case, Hinowa understood that Tsukuyo had been through a lot of hard work the last few weeks, and that a break was well deserved. In all honesty, Hinowa was actually perfectly content to just let the girl sleep and get some rest, but she knew that she would unfortunately have to wake her up. There was something important that she had to do, after all…

Hinowa put a hand on Tsukuyo's shoulder and gently tried to shake her. "Hey, Tsukuyo, wake up."

Surprisingly, Tsukuyo seemed to bolt awake immediately. "Huh?" she said in a daze. "What is it?"

"You need to wake up," Hinowa explained calmly with a smile.

A look of concern quickly fell over Tsukuyo's face. "Oh no. Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry; I don't know what happened. I was just so-"

"Exhausted?" asked Hinowa with a smirk. "It's alright, Tsukuyo. I think you needed a little rest anyways."

"What?" asked Tsukuyo. "No, I think I'm fine. What I really need to do is get back to work."

Hinowa just gave a gentle sigh. "You can relax, Tsukuyo. There's no point in working yourself to death. Besides, there's hardly anything to do right now anyway. We've already got a lot of work out of the way."

Tsukuyo gave her a weird look, as if what Hinowa was saying couldn't possibly be right. She stared off to the side for a moment before glancing back. "We did remember to send out the invitations, right?" she asked, sounding a little worried.

"Yes," Hinowa assured her, "we sent them out a few weeks ago, remember?"

"Oh…that's right…"

"See?" asked Hinowa as she took on her motherly role. "You really could use a little more sleep."

Tsukuyo just yawned before lazily glancing over to her. "In that case, why did you even bother to wake me up, huh?"

Hinowa simply smiled. "I woke you up because it's almost time for you to leave for Gin-san's place."

"Gintoki?" repeated Tsukuyo. "Oh, that's right! I'm supposed to be heading over there today!"

"Almost forgot, did you?" asked Hinowa playfully.

"Yes, I did," said Tsukuyo, sounding relieved. "Thanks for reminding me."

"Of course," replied Hinowa. "Are you going to be heading out now, then?"

"Yeah, I should probably get going," said Tsukuyo as she rose to her feet.

"What are you going over there for anyway?" asked Hinowa curiously.

In response, Tsukuyo just shrugged as she raised her arms up to her sides. "No idea," she said. "Gintoki just said it's a surprise…_again_…"

"Well, Gin-san is just full of surprises, isn't he?"

"I suppose," said Tsukuyo with a smile. "Anyways, I better head out. I'll be back later!"

"See you then," said Hinowa with a wave goodbye.

Tsukuyo then left the room in order to start making her short journey to the surface…

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the vastness of space, a single spaceship glided among the stars. Within the helm of this ship, three people were silently gathered around an elliptical table. One man was sitting off to the side by the window, gazing out at the stars. Another man was standing up straight, with his hands balled into fists at his sides. Finally, a woman was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. The trio stood in silence for a while, apparently waiting for something.

"I wonder what this upcoming meeting is all about," said the woman known as the 'Crimson Bullet': Kijima Matako. "Shinsuke-sama has refused to explain himself."

Across from her, the man with balled up fists known as the infamous strategist, Takechi Henpeita, decided to respond. "Shinsuke-dono has not informed me of anything either," he said indifferently.

"I expect that this meeting will be about why we have suddenly set a course for Earth," said the final man known as the music-loving terrorist, Kawakami Bansai. "Shinsuke will probably announce that we are going to proceed with an attack."

"An attack, huh?" asked Matako as she looked off to the side. "Is it finally time for that?"

"Shinsuke must think so," said Bansai as he continued staring out into space. "But then again, who knows? When it comes to Shinsuke, it could be anything."

"Whatever it is, it must be incredibly important," said Takechi in a serious tone. "Shinsuke-dono wouldn't have assembled us all here if it wasn't."

Matako thought about it for a second. "I guess that makes sense," she said. "If we really are going to go through with an attack on Earth, then Shinsuke-sama will definitely need the most capable members of the Kiheitai by his side."

"Hey, what about us?" asked a new voice from the entrance of the room.

Everybody turned to find a grinning pair of Yato standing in the doorway. It was none other than the Harusame representatives themselves, Kamui and Abuto.

"You two were called here as well?" asked Matako distastefully. She never usually was happy to see those two.

"Shinsuke told us to show up for the meeting," explained Abuto in a calm tone. "He said he'd be needing us."

"I guess you guys aren't the only ones that he can rely on," said Kamui, still grinning.

Bansai turned and plainly stared at the two Yato. "I'm surprised that he still called you guys here, considering that little stunt you pulled a few months ago."

"Oh, you mean that little trip we took?" asked Kamui curiously.

"I'm referring to when you and your men just up and disappeared without telling us anything," said Bansai in an emotionless tone.

"Oh, that's not such a big deal," explained Kamui. "We just took a vacation to the city of Yoshiwara for a little bit. Everyone needs a little vacation time, right? Besides, you don't even have to worry about something like that happening again. After all, we ended up earning ourselves a lifetime ban from the place. Isn't that right, Abuto?"

"That's right," said Abuto with a frown. "We overstayed our welcome and they ended up sending us packing."

Matako looked at the two of them in disgust. "Is this whole thing a joke to you two?" she asked angrily. "You can't just run off whenever you want to have some fun. Honestly, I don't even know why Shinsuke-sama trusts you so much…"

"I think that they are plenty trustworthy," Takechi suddenly chimed in. "We both have something to achieve from working together. And say what you want, but the addition of their strength is highly valuable to Shinsuke-dono, and to us as well."

"That's right, Takechi-san," said Kamui with a large grin. "Keep telling her how valuable we are. Maybe someday it will start to sink in."

Matako simply turned her head away in frustration. "Whatever," she said, "you're just lucky that Shinsuke-sama is so willing to forgive fools like you."

"Hey now," said Abuto with another frown. "We apologized for our actions a few months ago and Shinsuke was fine with it."

"Yeah," agreed Kamui, "and in order to make up for it, we promised Shinsuke that we would follow his orders on this new plan of his. We agreed to do whatever he asks of us this time around."

"It's nice to see that you're so eager to help," said Bansai, this time with a small grin of his own.

"In any case," said Kamui as he crossed his arms, "where is Shinsuke at? I thought that this meeting was supposed to start soon."

"It is," explained Takechi. "He'll probably be here in a few minutes."

"He should be the last of us then," said Bansai quietly. "I doubt anyone else will be showing up for this."

"So it will probably just be us six?" asked Abuto as he took a seat at the table.

"I'm excited!" exclaimed Kamui as he joined Abuto. "I can't wait to hear what he's planning!"

"You don't have to," said another new voice from the doorway.

Everyone turned to look. There, standing silently at the entrance, was the leader of the Kiheitai himself, Takasugi Shinsuke. He quietly gazed across the room with his typical small smirk. In one hand, he gently held his lit kiseru pipe, which had a little trail of smoke coming out of the end.

"Well, it looks like everybody is already here," he said in a calm, cool voice. "Shall we go ahead and get started then?"

Everybody silently nodded their head in approval before they took a place at the table. They then patiently waited to hear what he was going to say. Takasugi himself simply kept silent for a while before he too took a seat at the head of the table. He looked out at his allies with a smile.

"By now, I'm sure that you are all aware that we have recently set a course for Earth," he said in a smooth voice. Everyone else immediately focused on listening, silently taking in every word he said with their full attention. For some reason, Takasugi had always had a talent for explaining things in such an appealing manner.

Takasugi looked around at everyone again before he continued. "I'll bet that you're all wondering _why _we have chosen Earth as our next destination."

"Is it going to be an attack?" asked Kamui eagerly.

"Shhh!" Matako quickly hushed him. "Let Shinsuke-sama speak!"

Everyone turned back to look at Takasugi, who persisted with his tiny grin. "Allow me to explain what's on my mind," he said in a polite tone.

He closed his eyes for a second as he took a light smoke from his kiseru. He slowly exhaled before he continued. "It would seem that I have been away from home for far too long," he declared quietly.

Everyone simply watched him in silence, anxiously awaiting his next words.

"It would also seem that many changes have come about in my absence. Time has passed, and the lives of the people of my home country have developed without any influence from me…People have died, babies have been born, children have grown up, people have changed…and some have even fallen in love…"

Takasugi closed his eyes again as she showed his teeth with a grin. "Such is the passage of time…"

The others continued listening with their upmost attention. How was this man able to make everything he said sound like pure poetry?

"In any case," Takasugi continued, "back in my country, it would seem that there is a new upcoming event that has oddly piqued my interest." He paused for a second to glance at his allies again. "I assume that most of you are familiar with my old friend, Sakata Gintoki?"

Everyone immediately became surprised upon hearing this. Takasugi almost never mentioned that man, let alone refer to him as an 'old friend'.

"You mean that white demon, the Shiroyasha?" asked Takechi politely.

"The very same," said Takasugi.

"What about him?" asked Kamui with an enthusiastic grin.

"Heh, figures you'd get excited," said Abuto quietly to himself.

"Anyways," said Takasugi, calling their attention again, "one of my spies back on Earth managed to pick up the information on this specific upcoming event. Surprisingly, he learned about it from listening to a conversation between Katsura and his own rebel faction. It's rather odd, really. Who would've thought that they would be talking about something like this?"

"What is it, Shinsuke-sama?" asked Matako curiously.

It seemed like Takasugi just couldn't stop smiling. "As it turns out, Gintoki, the Shiroyasha himself, has managed to find a lover. And not only that, but it would seem that he is about to be married to her."

Takasugi glanced around again. "That's right, the event that I am referring to is Gintoki's upcoming wedding."

"Oh, wow," said Kamui as he quickly turned to Abuto with a smile. "It seems like Gintoki eventually decided to commit, eh?"

"I suppose," said Abuto as he rolled his eyes. "What the hell do I care?"

"He's right, Shinsuke," Bansai suddenly chimed in. "That may have been an offhand comment just now, but it's still true. Basically, it's interesting to learn that the wild Shiroyasha is finally settling down and all, but what does this have to do with us?"

"You weren't planning on attending the ceremony, were you Shinsuke?" asked Kamui with a snicker.

Surprisingly, Takasugi's smile faded to be replaced with a frown. "Believe it or not," he said seriously, "I am hardly happy to hear this news. On the contrary, I am actually upset. _Angry_, in fact. I hate the thought of Gintoki getting what he wants. Why should he deserve to find happiness with this woman? It makes me burn with rage…"

Takasugi paused for a second while his grin reappeared. "Therefore, I intend to put a stop to it…no, I intend to put a stop to _all_ of it…"

Kamui quickly matched his grin. "Are you referring to…?"

"We will strike Edo before the ceremony," Takasugi declared with a malicious look. "I want to attack several key places of interest and bring about their complete destruction. I want to cripple Edo so badly that it will never be the same again. I'm talking about a large scale invasion from us, the Kiheitai."

"Now we're talking," said Kamui, his grin growing wider.

"However," continued Takasugi, suddenly holding up a hand to silence Kamui, "there is still a small problem that must be addressed immediately."

"It's the Shiroyasha, right?" asked Bansai quietly.

"Correct," said Takasugi. "As long as that man is around, he will continuously go out of his way to put a stop to me and my plans. He always has before, and this time will be no different. He is intent on stopping me, no matter what I do. Therefore, I believe that we must find a way to deal with him from the start. It would be best if he were long gone before we kick our plan into gear."

"How are we going to get rid of him, Shinsuke-sama?" asked Matako.

"I could fight him again," suggested Kamui with an excited look in his eyes.

Takasugi raised his hand again to bring silence upon the room. "That won't be necessary," he said calmly. "I already have an idea of how we can strike at Gintoki. In fact, I have already put a plan into motion. I will inform you all on the details later. Just know this: if the plan _does_ succeed, then Gintoki should end up completely at our mercy, and we'll get the chance to mess with him quite a bit along the way. That in of itself should be a satisfactory bonus for us…"

Takasugi then paused to inhale from his kiseru again. Once he was done, he looked back at his comrades. "So tell me, what do you all think? Are you in on the plan?"

"It sounds great!" shouted Kamui before anyone else could answer. "Abuto and I are definitely in."

Abuto just lazily looked at his captain before rolling his eyes. "Right, let's go raise some hell," he mumbled.

"I also think that it is a great idea," Matako chimed in. "I can't wait to go lay waste to Edo. It's been far too long since we've struck there."

"If you think that this is the right course of action, then I see no problem with it," said Takechi with a straight face. "I will follow you on this one."

Takasugi then turned to the last of them, his trusted comrade, Kawakami Bansai.

They silently stared at each other for a second before a small smile broke out on Bansai's face. He soon followed by giving his leader a thumbs up.

Takasugi smiled to himself upon seeing this. _Such a simple man_ he thought with delight.

"It is decided then. We will proceed with our plan to attack Gintoki and the plan to attack Edo. May the fates smile upon us..."

Matako stared at him for a second. "I didn't know that you believed in fate, Shinsuke-sama…"

Takasugi just gave a small laugh upon hearing this. "I don't," he said seriously, "I just believe that people get what's coming to them. That is _my _idea of fate…"

The room went silent after this, until a sudden message from overhead cried out. It was an announcement being echoed throughout the ship.

"Attention, Takasugi-san!" the message bellowed. "The Earth is now viewable from our position. We will be arriving in Edo shortly."

"I see…" said Takasugi calmly.

Once the announcement was finished, Takasugi slowly rose out of his seat. He then strode over to the front window that sat across the room. He gazed out into space. Sure enough, the round shape of the Earth could be spotted growing larger and larger with every passing second.

Takasugi glared at that growing sphere with nothing short of pure excitement. "Perfect," he whispered with a malicious smile, "simply perfect…"

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm back! And it was only a couple of weeks too, like I promised! Nice, huh? Anyways, we're moving into Book 3 now! And guess what? It's all about Takasugi! Cue the screams of terror and delight! (I'm the latter XD)**

**But yes, Takasugi and the Kiheitai will be the main villain of this arc. He is the man referred to in the summary as "a demon from the past". I wasn't quite sure how to refer to him while still keeping it a mystery, so that's the best I could come up with. However, now that his role has been revealed, I might just change the summary to say Takasugi instead. It doesn't have to be a mystery forever, right? We can at least let people know what this is about XD**

**Recently, I've found something very interesting about the Gintama section for Fanfiction. You can filter all of the Gintama stories by sorting them through different categories such as reviews, follows, and favorites. In other words, you can actually rank all of the Gintama stories through those categories. I was curious about where my story ranked, so let's see what I found!**

**As of December 2015, Silver Moon is ranked:**

**Reviews: #33 with 97 reviews.**

**Favorites: #238 with 41 favorites.**

**Follows: #66 with 53 follows.**

**Wow! Not bad, eh? This shows a lot of promise! Thanks to all of you who made these rankings possible! By the way, does anyone else even check these things? No? It's just sad, isn't it? XD**

**But still, looking at this makes me to want to rank higher! In other words, it encourages me to keep writing! Maybe we can even come back and look at these rankings every once in a while, eh? That way, we can see how much the story has progressed in terms of popularity. I think it will be fun, so we'll plan on that!**

**Even so, thank you all for loving my story so far! I'll keep writing, so let's all promise to move forward! But for now, do me a favor and leave a review for the first chapter of this new arc! (It will help the rankings! XD) Thanks! See you next chapter!**


	36. Book 3 - Chapter 2

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 2

Kagura was currently lying down on the couch in her home, silently staring up at the ceiling. A short ways away from her, Gintoki sat at his desk and appeared to be looking over some papers. He too, was being quiet, and it created quite an unusual atmosphere for a place that was often so noisy. The only sound that could be heard was the whir of a small fan that sat in the corner. It was hot that day, so naturally the fan was on full blast.

The two of them seemed content to just sit there and listen to the fan drone on, but it was not long before the sound was interrupted by the noise of someone new entering the room. Both Gintoki and Kagura lazily glanced up to see who it was.

It turned out to be Shinpachi, and he gave both of his friends a smile as he walked in. "I just finished cleaning the house again, so you don't have to worry about it, Gin-san" he said positively.

"Thanks, Shinpachi," said Gintoki as he looked back down. He seemed to be really focused on the papers in front of him.

"Now everything should look nice for when the guests start arriving," said Shinpachi as he approached Gintoki's desk. "What are you looking at anyways?"

"Oh, it's just something for the wedding," he replied as he calmly put the papers down. "You see, it's-"

Kagura just tuned out Gintoki's words as she gave a small sigh. She then frowned as she closed her eyes. _Do they have to talk about that again?_ she tiredly wondered to herself.

Over the past couple of weeks, Gintoki had been completely focused on putting together his upcoming wedding with Tsukuyo. There was a lot of work to be done for such a ceremony, and it had started to seem like the wedding was the only thing that people talked about anymore. It was not really surprising that simply hearing about it had started to get a little annoying.

However, that was not the only reason for why Kagura seemed to hold such distaste for the upcoming event. The truth was that Kagura actually didn't want the wedding to happen at all…

When Kagura had first heard that Gintoki and Tsukuyo were going to be married to each other, she was actually very happy for them. In fact, she was even excited for the upcoming ceremony, as were many others. However, it would seem that as time went on, Kagura started to realize some unsettling truths.

With the date of the wedding approaching nearer and nearer, Kagura soon realized that life was actually going to be much different afterwards. It was true; her life would definitely not be the same as it was before. Changes were coming, and Kagura wasn't quite sure if she liked that.

For one thing, Kagura assumed that Tsukuyo would probably end up living in the Odd Jobs building along with Gintoki and herself. And for some reason, the mere thought of Tsukuyo joining them actually made the girl upset. She had always liked that it had just been her and Gintoki before. It was something special shared between the two of them. But now, with the introduction of Tsukuyo, that would all be rearranged. It wouldn't just be the two of them anymore…

Another thing that Kagura feared was the unlikely possibility of Tsukuyo joining the Odd Jobs business as well. It had always consisted of Gintoki, Shinpachi, and herself. Once again, it just seemed like something special, and if Tsukuyo were to join in too, then the entire feeling of it might just end up ruined…

Kagura just sighed again as she stared up at the ceiling. _I know I'm probably just being stupid about the whole thing…but I'm still worried. We've had a lot of fun up until now; I don't want anything to change. If I had my way, I think I'd just like to keep things like this forever…that is what would make me truly happy…_

Kagura then looked off to the side as she continued thinking. _But then again, maybe I'm just being selfish. I mean, this is supposed to be about Gin-chan and Tsukky finding happiness together. I don't want to get in the way of that just because I'm a little unhappy…_

And it was for that reason that Kagura had refused to share any of these feelings with her friends. She had kept it all to herself, and had not bothered anyone with feelings that she felt might be considered "selfish complaints". However, it seemed like bottling up her thoughts had not made her feel any better, and with the passage of time, her feelings about the wedding had only grown worse. Even so, Kagura still tried to put on a happy face for the sake of her two friends.

At that moment, Kagura's thoughts suddenly came to a halt as somebody else entered the room. To everyone's surprise, it was Tsukuyo herself. Apparently, she no longer knocked when she came to the door. Ever since the couple had become engaged, Tsukuyo had simply started letting herself in. Oddly enough, that was just another small thing that got on Kagura's nerves.

"Hey everybody," said Tsukuyo with a smile. "I made it."

"Oh good, you're here," said Gintoki, giving her a smile in return.

"It's nice to see you, Tsukuyo-san," Shinpachi greeted her.

"Hey Tsukky," mumbled Kagura. Even though she tried her best, sometimes it was hard to completely hide her true feelings. It was fine, though, as nobody seemed to notice Kagura's dejected attitude.

At this point, Gintoki quietly got up from his desk before making his way over to Tsukuyo. He greeted her by giving her a small kiss, which she warmly welcomed.

"So, you say you have a surprise for me?" asked the courtesan.

"That's right," said Gintoki with a smile. "I'd like to show you something, and I want to do it right away. It's not here though, so we're going to have to walk a little ways before you get to see what it is."

"Fine by me," said Tsukuyo pleasantly.

"Let's go ahead and get going then," he told her. He then took a second to glance back at the two kids behind him. "Shinpachi, Kagura, why don't you guys come along too?"

"Really?" asked Shinpachi.

"Yeah, you're going to want to see this," he said with a light grin.

"Well, of course!" said Shinpachi cheerfully.

Kagura just glanced at Gintoki before she slowly sat up. "Uh, sure…" she said.

"Great, let's head out then," instructed Gintoki as he made his way for the door.

The others simply followed behind him, silently wondering to themselves where they could possibly be going…

* * *

After walking through a couple of streets, the group finally arrived at the one that they were looking for. "Here we are!" said Gintoki happily.

The group looked around. "What's the big deal about this place?" asked Kagura.

"Yeah, it seems like any old neighborhood," said Shinpachi.

"Well, there's something special about this one," said Gintoki as he continued walking. "You'll see."

Tsukuyo just remained silent as she followed along. _Why would he have to drag me all the way out her for a surprise? _she wondered to herself. _I don't want to say anything, but the others are right. I don't see what's so special about this place. What does Gintoki have on his mind?_

The group continued walking until Gintoki eventually came to a stop. He then looked back and gestured at the building behind him. "Well, this is it!" he said.

The others stared at it. "What is it?" asked Kagura.

"It looks like a house," said Shinpachi.

"That's because it is a house," said Gintoki with a smirk.

Tsukuyo silently glanced over the building. Indeed, it did appear to resemble a house. A _new _house, at that. The structure was made primarily out of wood, which had been painted white. The building was also of medium size, and it only had one floor. Nevertheless, it was still dotted with windows, and had a small stoop just below the front door. A small area of grass, effectively resembling a yard, surrounded the house.

After Tsukuyo was done gazing at it, she turned towards Gintoki. "Who does this house belong to?" she asked curiously.

At this point, Gintoki's smile grew slightly larger. "Us," he said quietly.

Tsukuyo wasn't quite sure if she had heard him right. "W-what?" she asked.

"This will be our new home," he said, gesturing at it again. "Once we are married, this is where I plan for us to live."

Kagura suddenly looked at the samurai with worry. _W-what did he say…?_

Tsukuyo was speechless. She glanced back and forth between the house and Gintoki. "Are…are you serious?" she asked weakly.

Gintoki nodded, still smiling.

"But…but this house looks _new_," she told him, as if that made his previous claims false.

"It _is _new," he told her.

"But, if that's the case," said Tsukuyo, looking back at the house again, "how did you even afford something like this?"

"S-she's right, Gin-san," Shinpachi chimed in. "You shouldn't be able to pay for something as nice as this!"

Gintoki simply ignored their comments about his poverty as he glanced up at the house himself. "Believe it or not, this house was completely free. I know a carpenter that owed me quite a bit of money for my help in the past. I told him I'd call it even if he built me something nice for me and my future wife. And, well, here's what he gave us."

"Wow, that was…_convenient_," said Shinpachi as he lowered his eyebrows. **(Isn't it, though?)**

Tsukuyo continued to gaze at the house in awe. "I…I can't believe this," she whispered to herself.

"It's nothing too special, really," said Gintoki as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "It's just a one floor building with two bedrooms, and all of the other stuff you would expect to find. It has a living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom…" he trailed off.

"Oh!" he shouted, suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot, but it even has a small dojo-like room too. It's basically just a plain empty room, but it's supposed to be used for exercise and training. The carpenter told me that he figured I could get some use out of it. It's kind of cool, I guess…"

"Aren't you a little too lazy to get use out of something like that?" mumbled Shinpachi.

"Anyways," said Gintoki as he threw Shinpachi a dirty look, "I figured that this might be a nice place to move to once we're married. It will give us plenty of room, and privacy too…it will just be our special little place."

He then looked over to Tsukuyo with a small smile. "So, what do you think? Would you like to live here with me?"

Tsukuyo looked back at him with a small smile of her own. "Of course I would, Gintoki. It looks like a wonderful place for us."

"That's just what I wanted to hear…"

The next thing they knew, the couple was quietly sharing a kiss together, expressing their feelings of happiness and excitement for their future home.

When they eventually broke apart, Gintoki calmly stared at Tsukuyo. "Why don't you go ahead and check it out?" he asked, pointing back to the new house.

"I'd love to," said Tsukuyo, looking excited. She quickly started making her way for the door.

"I want to see it too!" shouted Shinpachi as he followed after her.

Gintoki just smiled as he watched the two of them go in. It was nice to see that his efforts to find a home for him and Tsukuyo had not gone unappreciated. Tsukuyo seemed to be happy, and so was he…

"Is this all for real?" asked a quiet voice from behind him.

Gintoki turned around to find Kagura still standing outside with him. Apparently, she had not gone in to check out the house along with the others. Gintoki just curiously stared at her for a moment. Something seemed off about the girl. She looked a little…depressed…

"What do you mean?" Gintoki asked her.

Kagura looked at him with a frown. "This…this house…are you really going to live here with Tsukky?"

"Well, that was the plan…" said Gintoki as he scratched the back of his head.

Kagura's frown grew bigger. "So then…we're not going to be living together anymore?"

"Nope, I'll be living here from now on," he explained patiently.

Kagura seemed a little distraught. She looked at the ground as she clenched her fists. "But wait, what about our business? What about Odd Jobs Gin? Are…are we not going to be doing that anymore…?"

Gintoki could hear the hint of fear in her voice. For some reason, he just gave a small chuckle before he looked back at her. "No, you don't have to worry about anything like that. The Odd Jobs business is the only thing we know how to do; we're not just about to abandon it. Even though I'll be living here, I will continue to operate the Odd Jobs business. That's a guarantee."

Kagura then gave him a look of confusion. "But, how is this all going to work? I mean, it just doesn't make any sense," she insisted.

Gintoki gave her a smile. "Well, believe it or not, I've already set up our future living arrangements with Gran. We agreed that even though I'll be living here, I'm still going to use the Odd Jobs building as our traditional headquarters."

Gintoki then paused as he pointed at Kagura. "As for you, Gran said that you're still allowed to live up there on your own. She even said that she'll offer us a discounted rent price for it, since it will just be you in there."

Kagura looked back down at the ground. "Oh…I see…"

Gintoki crossed his arms as he continued smiling at the girl. "You should be happy about this, you know? You'll get the place all to yourself. You can even move out of that closet and sleep in my room once I've moved out. You'll probably be a lot more comfortable in there. I'll bet you'll actually enjoy it."

Kagura continued to stare at the ground. "Yeah, I guess so…" she mumbled.

Silence fell between them after that. Gintoki didn't really have anything else to say, so he turned back towards the house. "I'm going to go check on the others," he told Kagura. "You should come on in too."

And with that, Gintoki left the girl alone as he entered the house. Kagura didn't even watch him leave. She just kept staring at the ground. Eventually, she closed her eyes and clenched her fists as hard as she could.

_I…I hate this!_ she cried in her head.

Kagura then released her grip and slowly opened her eyes. Her shoulders sagged a little bit.

_I can't believe it…Gin-chan won't be living with me anymore. And I'm…I'm going to be left all by myself in that house…_

Kagura then let out a sigh. _I don't want the place to myself. I don't want to move out of my closet. I don't want Gin-chan to leave! None of this is making me happy! I am not enjoying it at all!_

Kagura dismally looked up at the house in front of her. _Why did this have to happen? Why can't things just stay the same as they always have? Why does Gin-chan have to move out? Why does he have to get married to Tsukky? I hate all of these new changes…I just want my life to go back to normal. This stupid marriage is ruining everything…_

"Hey, Kagura-chan!" called Shinpachi from inside the house. "Where are you? You should come inside and check this place out!"

Kagura suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. "R-right. I'm coming!" she called back.

"Hurry up!" came the reply. It didn't seem like Shinpachi was saddened by this surprise in the slightest.

Kagura just frowned once more as she slowly made her way towards the house. _I guess my opinion doesn't really matter. Whether I like it or not, this wedding is going to happen, and there's nothing I can do to stop the changes that come with it…_

* * *

Across the street, standing in an alley between two houses, a man silently watched as Kagura entered the new building. It would seem that unbeknownst to the group, they were carefully being watched by this man…

As it turns out, he was a scout. He was a spy that had been sent to keep an eye on the group, and right now he was cautiously searching for the unique information that his superiors had requested.

_Hmm_…thought the man. _That girl seems like the perfect target to fulfill Takechi-san's requirements. She seems a little distant, and relatively unhappy with the others. That's exactly what we're looking for…_

Without making a sound, the man then jumped out of the alleyway and landed on a rooftop. He then dashed from building to building as fast as he could.

_I need to get this information back to the Kiheitai as soon as possible…Takasugi-san will be delighted to hear this!_

* * *

**Well, this was one of the shorter chapters I've written in a while. Hmm, then again, weren't the last two kind of short? Oh, whatever XD I could have put more in, but we'll just save that for next time, shall we?**

**Anyways, it has come to my attention that I need to explain something about my story that is kind of important! It's about where my story takes place in the Gintama timeline. Why? Well, because anyone who has read the manga knows that my story and the current arcs in Gintama simply don't match up! So…what's the deal?**

**Please allow me to explain. Basically, my story takes place in what I guess would be an alternate universe setting. Well, it might not be entirely correct to say that. In truth, my story just takes place in the typical day to day Gintama universe like the majority of the series does. The only real difference I would have to point out would have to be that my story takes place in a timeline where the Shogun Assassination Arc never happens, or any of the others arcs that follow that. It's just your plain old daily Gintama story!**

**However, if I had to find an exact place for my story, I'd say it fits sometime after the Love Potion Arc. After that, Silver Moon just turns into its own thing :)**

**But yeah, that's that. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if it doesn't! Anyways, please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on this (uneventful) chapter! XD I'd really appreciate it! Thanks, see ya later!**


	37. Book 3 - Chapter 3

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 3

_Later that night…_

"We have safely arrived on Earth, Takasugi-san."

Takasugi simply smiled as he crossed his arms. "Did anyone happen to notice us land?"

"No sir, it looks like we're in the clear."

"Excellent."

Takasugi currently stood in the control room of his ship. Several men who were responsible for piloting and monitoring the ship surrounded him. They had just succeeded in landing their spacecraft in a small forest clearing. A short distance away from their ship sat the city of Edo. By landing out in the forest, they were hoping to avoid detection from anyone in the city. They wanted to make their movements secretly, after all…

"Tell everyone to stay on the ship for now," Takasugi ordered the man next to him, "just in case anyone did happen to spot us."

"Yes sir," he replied. "I'll report it overhead."

Takasugi continued smiling and kept his arms folded as he turned around. He then exited the control room. He casually maneuvered through the ship for a while, until he eventually arrived back at the meeting room that he had occupied earlier. To his delight, he found all of his comrades still waiting there for him.

"Oh, you're back, Shinsuke-sama," said Matako, who was the first to notice. The others immediately turned to look at him

"That's right," he said as he approached the table. Once he was there, he glanced over to his talented strategist. "Takechi, has your scout reported back to you yet?"

"Yes," said Takechi with a nod, "he sent a message a little while ago. He claims that he has found a target."

"Great," said Takasugi, his grin growing wider. "Well then, in that case, I think I should finally inform you all about our plan for taking out Gintoki. I have already discussed this plan with Takechi beforehand, but now it's time to fill all of you in on it too."

"It's about time!" said Kamui rudely as he slammed his hands on the table. "I've been waiting to hear about this all day. If we're not going to fight him directly, then how are we going to deal with him?"

Takasugi's smile did not falter. He didn't seem to mind Kamui's comments. "We'll do it indirectly, obviously."

Takasugi paused to glance at the puzzled looks on his comrades' faces. "Allow me to explain," he continued. "Recently, Takechi and his men have been working on developing a new weapon for us."

"You mean like a sword?" asked Kamui excitedly.

"Not exactly, no. You see, when I say weapon, I mean it in the_ literal_ sense. This weapon will work indirectly, remember?"

The others nodded to show that they understood.

"What is this weapon, then?" asked Abuto politely.

"It's actually a powerful drug," said Takasugi with a happy glare. "Takechi, why don't you explain how it works?"

"If you insist," said Takechi with a slight bow. "As Shinsuke-dono has already said, my men and I have managed to create a new destructive drug. Ever since the completion of its development, we have started calling the drug, 'Dragon Rage'."

Kamui quickly leaned over towards Abuto. "Dragon Rage?" he whispered. "Isn't that a Pokemon move?"

"Yes," replied Abuto seriously, "it's a dragon type move and it always inflicts 40 HP worth of damage on the opponent."

Kamui simply crossed his arms as he pouted. "That doesn't sound like an indirect attack to me."

"It's not," said Abuto. "Honestly, if they were going for power, they should have just went with Dragon Pulse instead."

"Or Dragon Rush," suggested Kamui.

"How about Draco Meteor?"

"Don't forget-"

"Would you two shut up about Pokemon already!?" Matako shouted at the two Yato. Kamui and Abuto silently looked up to find the whole room staring back at them. Apparently the others had been listening to their conversation.

"Oh, sorry about that," said Kamui with a goofy smile.

"You should be," said Takasugi with a grin. "You forgot to mention Outrage."

Everyone looked at him out of surprise. Kamui looked ecstatic.

"S-Shinsuke-sama!" shouted a flustered Matako. "Can't you take this a little more seriously!?"

"Anyways," said Takechi loudly in an effort to regain their attention, "the term 'Dragon Rage' is only a name for our product. It only slightly resembles the basic aspects of the drug itself."

"What exactly does it do?" inquired Bansai.

"Allow me to explain," said Takechi patiently. "The drug's primary duty is to send the user into a state of uncontrollable rage, a complete and utter _frenzy_. Their temper will rise, and they will become much more violent then they were before. Basically, they will go completely mad with fury, and they will express it all in a single outburst…"

"It sounds crazy…" mumbled Kamui with an excited look in his eyes.

"However," continued Takechi, "the drug itself can only be activated in certain situations."

"Like what?" asked Abuto, showing signs of interest in his tone.

"Well, Dragon Rage is really only suitable for when the user finds themselves in a _tense _situation. It can happen whenever they are feeling uneasy, stressed, or above all, angry."

"So you can only use the drug when you're upset?" asked Matako curiously.

"That's right," confirmed Takechi. "The drug basically takes your sudden feelings of resentment and anger and amplifies them to the extreme. You then become a destructive force to everyone around you."

"I see," said Bansai quietly. "So that's why you call it Dragon Rage. Like a dragon, this drug coils up inside of you and lays dormant until it eventually breathes to life the destructive flame of rage from within."

Takechi gave the man a look of pleasant surprise. "That's remarkable, Bansai-dono. You're exactly right."

Takasugi suddenly grinned from his place at the head of the table. "The name is rather poetic. You'd have to be of a simple mind to not realize its symbolic namesake."

"Oh, so it's really not a Pokemon move," said Kamui ignorantly to Abuto.

The other Yato just rolled his eyes as a sweat drop slid down his forehead. _Uh…I didn't realize that…_

"So," said Bansai suddenly, "you said that this drug was going to be the key to taking down the Shiroyasha, right? Can you explain how this is all going to work?"

"Are we going to be taking the drug ourselves?" asked Kamui with almost too much eagerness in his tone.

"No," said Takasugi sternly. "The drug itself is too dangerous. Like Takechi said, the user becomes a destructive force to everyone around them, both friend and foe alike. It would just end up doing more harm than good if we took it ourselves."

"So then, who is it for?" asked Matako. "You're planning to use it on someone else right? Is it for the Shiroyasha?"

"Once again, no," replied Takasugi. "Even though I would like to watch Gintoki destroy everything precious to him with his own hands, it won't really get us anywhere. I wanted this drug developed so that we could strike against Gintoki."

"So you'll actually be using it on someone who's close to him," said Abuto as if it all made sense now.

"Correct," said Takasugi with a smile. "We'll give it to someone who will strike at Gintoki when the time is right. We want somebody who is constantly upset with the man. And now, Takechi, you claimed that you have a target for us. Please, reveal who it is."

Takechi hesitated for a second before he revealed the answer. "My scout found that the young Yato girl that lives with the Shiroyasha would be the best target. Her name is Kagura."

Upon, hearing this, Kamui raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.

Matako, on the other hand, looked at Takechi with disgust. "You've chosen _that_ girl? Didn't you have a weird thing for her before? You freaking disgusting lolicon!"

"I'm not a lolicon, I'm a feminist," Takechi explained in defense.

"Oh whatever, you freak! You probably just chose her because you have a weird attraction to her!"

"No, I actually chose her because she is the perfect one for the job," he said patiently. "My scout reported that she has recently been looking upset with her group of friends, especially when it comes to the Shiroyasha. He must currently be doing something to make her unhappy. Now, if you take this into account, along with the fact that she is of Yato lineage, I think we can all agree that it will only be a matter of time until she gets a little angry."

"That's more than a guarantee," said Abuto with certainty.

"It's true," said Kamui with a smile, "that weakling has quite the temper."

"The fact that she is a Yato would also mean that she will go on quite the rampage if you give her the drug," Abuto continued. "The destruction alone will be catastrophic."

"Excellent," said Takasugi gleefully. "We'll be sure to go with her then. After all, she sounds like the perfect tool to use for striking at Gintoki."

"She is," said Takechi with confidence.

"Well, that sounds great and all, but how do we even know that she will strike the Shiroyasha?" asked Matako skeptically. "I mean, won't she just lose all control of herself? She could end up attacking anybody."

"It doesn't really matter," said Takasugi with a grin. "Just so long as she attacks _somebody_, the plan will work out. After all, this plan does have more layers than just the first step."

The room went silent after that, until Bansai eventually spoke up. "Let me just make sure I have this straight," he said. "We're going to inject the Yato girl with Dragon Rage in the hopes that she will get angry and attack somebody of relative importance?"

"That's the gist of it," said Takasugi as he flashed an insane grin. "Everything has already been put into motion. Now we just have to wait for an opportunity…"

* * *

Meanwhile, a lone samurai wandered through the streets of Edo. It had been a long day for him, and he was currently feeling a little nervous about something. At this time, all he wanted to do was just go and enjoy a meal at this favorite ramen shop. Upon arriving at the place, he quietly entered.

The lady that ran the shop immediately yelled out to him. "The shop is closed," she said bluntly from behind the counter.

The samurai gave a gentle smile. "Perhaps you can stay open a little bit longer…for me?"

The owner turned around for a second. "Oh, it's just you, Katsura."

Upon hearing this, Katsura looked quite taken aback. "It's just me?" he repeated. "You don't have to be so hurtful, Ikumatsu-dono."

Ikumatsu just ignored him as she turned back around. "What do you want, Katsura?"

"Well, I was hoping I could relax a little bit and maybe get something to eat…"

"Sorry, the shop is closed," she replied quickly.

"Oh come on," Katsura begged as he brought his hands together. "_Please_…"

Ikumatsu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before sighing. "Very well, take a seat and I'll get you something."

"Thank you, Ikumatsu-dono," said Katsura with a bow and a grin. He happily marched up to the counter and took a seat across from her.

Ikumatsu just remained silent as she started preparing a small meal for her friend. She didn't really want to do it, but she had always held an unusual soft spot for the idiot behind her. Maybe it was because they had always felt so attached to one another…

After about a minute, Ikumatsu realized that Katsura was being unusually quiet for some reason. Normally the problem was trying to get him to shut up. Tonight, however, it seemed like he was holding his tongue.

Ikumatsu decided to try and strike up some conversation. "So tell me, Katsura, what's on your mind?"

Katsura was silent at first, before he eventually gave a sigh. "Oh, nothing really," he said innocently. "I've mostly just been thinking about Gintoki's upcoming wedding…have you heard about it, by chance?"

Ikumatsu glanced at him curiously. "Yes, I did hear something about that. Gin-san is going to be marrying that sweet girl from Yoshiwara, right? What was her name again?"

"It's Tsukuyo," supplied Katsura.

"Oh, that's right," said Ikumatsu with a small smile. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. It sounds like those two really did end up finding happiness together."

"Yeah, and it wasn't exactly easy either…"

Ikumatsu turned around and gave Katsura a weird look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing really," said Katsura quickly. He never really had informed Ikumatsu on the details of the incident that took place in Yoshiwara a few months ago. He just didn't want her to worry about him…

Ikumatsu just decided to ignore Katsura and went back to preparing his meal. Once she was done, she gently set it in front of him. "Here you are," she told him.

"Ah, thank you very much," said the samurai with a small smile. It was not long before he began shoveling the ramen into his open mouth.

Ikumatsu just gave a light smile as she watched him eat. "So, I'm guessing you've been invited to Gin-san's wedding?"

Katsura quickly finished swallowing. "That is correct."

"And I'm also guessing that's why you've been thinking about it so much recently?"

Katsura just looked off to the side. "Yeah…" he mumbled.

"Well, that sounds exciting," she told him. "Are you looking forward to it?"

"Yes, I suppose," he replied. "I'm happy for Gintoki, and it will be nice to be there for him on his big day."

"It's funny," said Ikumatsu with a tiny laugh, "I figured Gin-san might actually want to keep you away from his wedding. It was actually rather generous of him to allow you to come at all."

Katsura lowered his eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

Ikumatsu gently smiled as she stared at the man. "Well, you know…you can just be a lot to deal with sometimes, especially for somebody like Gin-san."

Katsura looked astonished. "What are you talking about? Gintoki loves me! We're basically best friends!"

Ikumatsu secretly rolled her eyes. "Mmhmm…"

The room went silent after that. Katsura quietly looked off to the side as his cheeks actually started to blush a little bit. "Anyways," he said, "I was kind of thinking to myself that maybe, well…I would actually like to bring someone with me to the wedding…"

Ikumatsu gave him a look of surprise. "Oh really?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah," stuttered Katsura. "I was actually kind of hoping I could find someone to be my…my _date_…"

Ikumatsu just started grinning as she leaned against the counter. She slowly folded one arm inward as she lifted the other in order to rest her hand against her cheek. "I have an idea," she said. "Why don't you just take that companion of yours that's always following you around? You know, Elizabeth?"

Upon hearing this, Katsura's face reddened worse than ever before. Whether it was due to anger or embarrassment, Ikumatsu did not know. All she did know was that she found it funny, and she had to try hard to stop herself from completely laughing out loud.

"I am not talking about Elizabeth!" Katsura shouted angrily. "He's the last person I would want as my date! How…how could you even suggest such a thing!?"

"Oh come on," said Ikumatsu with a grin, "you two are so close to each other. You could just go as friends."

"Absolutely not!" Katsura yelled.

Ikumatsu just continued smiling as she rolled her eyes again. "Well then, who else is there to take?" she asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Isn't it obvious!?" he shouted as he pointed at her. "You! I want to take you as my date!"

"…Really?" she asked with a smug smile.

"Of course! I'd rather take you than anyone else! Don't you understand-"

"Sure Katsura, I'll go with you," she said suddenly.

"I-" Katsura paused. "You…you will?"

Ikumatsu gave him a wink. "Of course."

Upon hearing her answer, Katsura suddenly looked like he was caught off guard. "Oh…well then, I, uh…I guess that's settled..."

"I guess so," she agreed.

Katsura gave a tiny smile as he looked off to the side. "It's a date then…"

Ikumatsu just continued to smile to herself as she straightened back up. "You know, Katsura, you should have just manned up and asked me that in the first place instead of dancing around the question like a little girl."

Katsura's face quickly reddened again. "Grrr…that's exactly what I was trying to do! But then you had to interfere and twist it all around and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Ikumatsu with a small laugh. "I was just messing with you a little bit. That's all."

Katsura glared at her for a second before he calmed down. He quietly went back to eating his meal. "Whatever," he mumbled. "How about the next time that you know I'm going to ask you something, you just give me a straightforward answer?"

Ikumatsu glanced at him curiously. "How odd of you to say that…will there be a next time?"

Katsura started blushing again. How was she able to make him do that so easily? "Er…well, I…"

Ikumatsu couldn't help it any longer. She quietly started laughing to herself. Messing with Katsura was just too funny.

When she finally stopped, she gave him a gentle smile before she started walking away. "Maybe we should just focus on the first one for now," she suggested without looking back.

Katsura simply watched her leave. He then furrowed his brow as he went back to his meal again. _That stubborn woman _he thought. _Why does she have to make everything so difficult? Was it really that much fun messing with me? Honestly, this woman is more trouble than she's worth…_

Katsura then took a bite of his food before he continued thinking. _Then again, she did say yes…so maybe it was worth it, after all…_

Katsura couldn't help but grin to himself. He had a date!

* * *

**Well, another shorter chapter. Um…don't worry, I'm sure we'll get a longer one eventually XD**

**Anyways, it seems like we took a break from the usual Gintsu storyline this chapter in order to focus on the other characters for a bit. And you know what? I honestly don't see anything wrong with that, because I liked it. I hope you did too. I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter :)**

**By the way, if you were confused about any of those "Dragon things" (Dragon Rage, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Rush, Draco Meteor, and Outrage) that Kamui and Abuto and Takasugi were discussing, I'll briefly explain the reference. Those are all just moves/attacks from the Pokemon video game series, and they're all dragon type too. Because…why not? XD (Who would've thought they played those games anyway?)**

**As for the next chapter, it will be featuring a lot of familiar Gintama characters, so it should be interesting. Expect some introductions…and maybe if we're lucky, some decent plot progression? I'll put that on the to-do list XD**

**As for now, please do me a favor and leave a review! **_**Please**_**? I think I'd like that. Until next time!**


	38. Book 3 - Chapter 4

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 4

_A Few Days Later…_

It was an average day just like any other over at Snack House Otose. The sun was shining, and the neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. However, there was one thing that set this day apart from the usual Snack House experience. As it turns out, that detail was the inclusion of some uncommon customers at the bar: a small group of friendly women currently occupied it.

"Wow, I can't believe that the wedding is only a week away!" said Otae with delight.

"Indeed," said Kyuubei, "it is approaching rather quickly."

"Yeah, it's approaching quickly," repeated Sachan in a disappointed tone.

"It's still kind of hard to imagine that Gin-san and Tsukuyo are going to be married," Otae continued. "I mean, who would've thought that they would become engaged so soon?"

"Yeah, who would've thought?" asked Sachan dismally.

Kagura just let out a puff of air as she listened to the other women talk. Once again, Gintoki's wedding was the topic of discussion and Kagura had barely any motivation to take part in it. She just silently crossed her arms and rested her chin on top of them as she leaned against the bar. She then slowly glanced down at the others.

Otae sat next to Kagura on her right. Kyuubei then occupied the seat next to Otae and one seat down from her sat a depressed Sachan. The first two women sat upright in their seats, but Sachan held a position similar to Kagura's.

Kyuubei curiously glanced over at her. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

Sachan just replied without looking up. "I thought for sure they would break up. I thought for sure that their relationship wouldn't last. How could things have lead to them getting married? How did it all work out so well?"

"It's because they actually love and care about each other," said Otose as she entered the bar from the back room. "They're a cute couple, don't you think?"

Sachan quickly sat up and balled her hands into fists. "Who cares about that?" she asked with a hint of anger in her tone. "I wanted to be the one who ended up with Gin-san! How did Tsukky get so lucky?"

"It was easy for her," said Otose as she lit a cigarette. "She's a sweet girl with a kind heart. And you…well, you're a half stalker half masochist freak who is a little desperate for Gintoki's attention."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY YOU OLD HAG!?" Sachan screamed across the bar.

"Damn, Otose-san, don't you think that was a little harsh?" asked Catherine as she also entered the room. Tama quietly followed in behind her.

"What?" asked Otose innocently. "It's true, you know."

"I didn't say that it wasn't true, Otose-san," said Catherine slyly.

"WHAT!?" Sachan screamed again. _How dare these women talk shit about me right to my face!_

Tama soon walked over the purple-haired ninja before speaking up in her calm, soothing tone. "I think that Otose-sama is just saying that Gintoki-sama is not interested in you. He is interested in Tsukuyo-sama instead."

Sachan looked over at Otose with a scowl. "She has a funny way of saying it…" she said coldly.

"Oh, just get over yourself already," said Otose indifferently. "Gintoki had every opportunity to strike up a relationship with you and he clearly decided not to. He decided to go with Tsukuyo instead, and now they're going to be married. What's happened has happened and there's no point in pouting over it."

Before Sachan could come up with a retort, Otae quickly chimed in. "She kind of has a point, Sachan-san," she said timidly. "Maybe instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you should focus on being happy for your friend. Tsukuyo is your friend after all, right? You should be happy for her!"

After hearing this, Kagura quickly tuned the conversation out as she became lost in her own thoughts. _I should be happy for Gin-chan and Tsukky?_

She paused as she looked away from the others. _I know I should be happy for them…but I'm not…I mean, why should I be? It's not like my life is going to be getting any better. It's not like I'm going to get any happier…_

_In fact, all of these stupid changes are just making me upset. Soon Gin-chan will be gone and I'll be left all alone…it's like we won't even hold a special bond anymore…_

Kagura unconsciously let out a sigh. _It's all because of this stupid wedding. Why do Gin-chan and Tsukky have to get married anyway? Everything was perfectly fine before when they were just dating. Nobody had a problem with their relationship then…_

_It's only now that they're getting married that everything is starting to change and I hate it!_

For a second, Kagura considered voicing these opinions out loud to the group next to her, but she quickly decided against it. She had seen how Sachan had been treated for being negative about the whole thing, and Kagura was not about to join her.

_It's best to just shut up about it _she thought to herself. _Everybody else is so happy anyways. I don't want to be the one to ruin their good mood with my complaints…_

After coming to her conclusion, Kagura just took a deep breath before slowly tuning back into the conversation. It seemed like they had started talking about the new house that Gintoki had prepared for the couple. Kagura tried her best to keep any negative thoughts out of her head as she listened. Even so, she still found it difficult to stay positive given her outlook on the situation.

As the women continued talking, somebody new suddenly entered the bar from the street. Everyone immediately turned to see who it was. To their surprise, they found Tsukuyo standing in the doorway. Tsukuyo in turn looked a little surprised to see them.

"Oh, hey everybody," she said with a small wave. "What are you all doing here?"

Everyone gave Tsukuyo a warm welcome as she entered the bar…everyone except for Kagura, that is. Instead of greeting the courtesan, Kagura just looked away from the entrance as she secretly rolled her eyes.

_Oh great, she's here again…_

Unfortunately, it seemed like Kagura had started to grow a little tired of seeing Tsukuyo around so much. It seemed that constantly seeing the courtesan only served to remind the girl of the upcoming wedding that she dreaded so much.

Kagura just leaned against the bar again as she rested her cheek against her fist. _Sorry Tsukky _she silently apologized. _It's not that I hate you or anything, but I can't help but feel a little upset every time I see you. You are partly responsible for all of these upcoming changes, after all. You and Gin-chan…_

"Anyways," said Otae once the welcoming was finished, "we were just sitting in here talking about your upcoming wedding! We're all really excited for you!"

"Really?" asked Tsukuyo, a little surprised. "All of you? Even _you_, Sarutobi?"

Sachan silently glanced at the cold death stares she was receiving from the others before she produced the most sincere smile she could muster. "Yes, of course I'm happy for you!" she said through slightly clenched teeth.

Tsukuyo simply smiled as she watched. She could tell that an effort was being made, at least. "Well, thank you all. I'm glad to hear it."

"By the way," Kyuubei chimed in, "what brings you here?"

"Yeah, we weren't really expecting you to just show up like that," said Otae with a kind smile.

"Gintoki asked me to meet him here," Tsukuyo explained. "He said there are some things we need to look over."

"That sounds exciting," said Otose, also smiling. "Are you meeting in here?"

"Yeah…although, I don't think that Gintoki was expecting all of you to be in here," she said with a doubtful tone.

"Ah, who cares?" said Otae with a wave of her hand. "It will just be a surprise for him then."

"Speaking of surprises," said Otose with a grin, "I heard Gintoki showed you that new house of his."

"Yeah," said Tsukuyo with a small smile, "it's really-"

Kagura just let out an inaudible sigh as she tuned out again. _Will they ever stop talking about these stupid changes?_

Once Tsukuyo was done talking, Sachan nonchalantly got to her feet as she produced a scowl. She then slowly walked over to Tsukuyo before leaning against her shoulder.

"So, Tsukky," she said in a cool voice, "tell me, have you and Gin-san done _that _together yet?"

Tsukuyo gave her a weird look. "That?" she repeated.

"Yeah, you know…have you, uh, slept together, or anything like that?"

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo just remained calm as she returned the scowl. "That's hardly an appropriate thing to ask, Sarutobi…"

"Oh, just answer it!" Otose suddenly barked from the back of the room.

Everyone slowly and warily turned to look at the old lady.

"What?" she asked innocently. "I just want to know."

"Well, not that it's any of your guys' business, but _no_, we haven't," said Tsukuyo sternly.

"Is that so?" Otose mumbled as she put her cigarette to her lips.

"Yes," said Tsukuyo in defense. "I mean, there were a couple of times when I thought he wanted to, well, you know…but he never really insisted on anything."

Upon hearing this, Sachan took on a smug smile before patting the courtesan on the shoulder. "Glad to hear it."

As Sachan walked away, Tsukuyo began to notice that everyone in the room was staring at her rather awkwardly. She soon started feeling uncomfortable as she slowly realized that she might have said a little bit more than she should have. It was then that Otose added the comment that sent her over the edge.

"Hmm…it's kind of a shame," she said quietly. "For a second there, I thought that was actually the reason why you were getting married so quickly. I thought you might be getting married because you _had _to…if you know what I mean…"

Tsukuyo couldn't help it any longer. She could feel the heat start rushing into her cheeks and she knew that she must have been blushing madly by now.

"Sheesh," said Catherine offhandedly, "are you still hoping for those grandkids or something, Otose-san?"

Tsukuyo knew that it would be better if she didn't open her mouth, but she felt like she couldn't just stand there without saying _something_. Sure enough though, her words only came out as embarrassed incomplete sentences.

"You thought that we were…and that I was…? Why would you…? How could you even…?"

Just as she had predicted, Tsukuyo couldn't get the words out. She quickly stopped talking as her blushing became even worse. She couldn't take it much longer. She needed some kind of release from this embarrassment, something to make her calm down…but what?

At that instant, by some weird act of fate, Gintoki and Shinpachi entered the bar. Tsukuyo turned to look at the two of them, and for some reason, the moment she laid eyes on Gintoki, instinct took over. Without even thinking Tsukuyo produced a kunai and threw it as hard as she could at her fiancé's forehead. Needless to say, it landed without fail and Gintoki quickly dropped to the floor.

"Oh shit," Tsukuyo mumbled, horrified at what she had just done. "Gintoki!"

Gintoki managed to look up from the floor. "Hey sweetheart…what the hell…was that for?"

"I'm sorry!" Tsukuyo apologized as she crouched down next to him. "It was just a reflex! Here, let me get that!" Without hesitating, she grabbed ahold of the kunai and yanked it out.

"Ouch! Not so fast!" Gintoki whined as blood spurted everywhere.

Sachan just gave a slight snicker as she watched. "She's the perfect match for Gin-san? I have a hard time believing that."

The others just remained silent. Not even Otose had a comeback for that after witnessing such a bizarre event.

Tsukuyo managed to get Gintoki back on his feet again. "Are you alright?" she asked gently as she eyed his new wound.

"Are you still doing that?" asked Gintoki, ignoring her question. "I thought we had moved on past this whole kunai-in-my-forehead business."

"Hey, Gin-san!" Sachan cried from the bar. "Do you want me to take a look at that wound? I'm sure I could bandage it up for you!"

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo threw a glare in the shinobi's direction. "I'll be the one who takes a look at it," she declared adamantly, before pulling Gintoki aside and placing him in an empty booth. "Let me see that," she demanded as she forced the man's head down.

"Ouch!" Gintoki cried again. "Why so rough?"

Meanwhile, Shinpachi, who had been standing in the doorway this entire time, cleared his throat. "Anyways, what are you all doing here?" he asked, looking at the others.

"We were just relaxing and talking," explained Otae with a smile. "We didn't realize that Gin-san was going to secretly meet Tsukuyo for some alone time here."

"It's not like that," Gintoki spoke up from the corner where he was being treated. "I just needed to look over the guest list one more time with Tsukuyo and confirm who is planning on coming."

Shinpachi simply took a seat opposite Gintoki. He then glanced at the women who sat at the bar. "I'm guessing that all of you are planning on coming, right?"

"Of course," said Otae happily. "We wouldn't even think about missing it."

"That's right," said Kyuubei with a nod. "And of course, thank you for inviting us to such a big event."

"Really?" asked Gintoki. "Well thank Tsukuyo here," he said as he pointed up at her. "She's the one who insisted on inviting all of you."

Tsukuyo just stared at the man as she attempted to bandage his forehead. "Oh, come on, Gintoki. How could we not invite them? They're your friends, after all. Mine too."

Tsukuyo then glanced over at the group. _Well, maybe Sarutobi wasn't such a good choice…_

"You can count us in too, of course," said Otose with a grin as she gestured to Catherine and Tama. "We'll be sure to make it."

"Great," said Gintoki as he marked all of this on a list that he had originally brought in with him but the author had been too lazy to go back and actually write in.

Gintoki put his pen (which the author also forgot to write in) to his mouth for a second as he continued thinking. Meanwhile, the other occupants of the bar started striking up conversation amongst themselves. This left Gintoki and Tsukuyo alone to privately focus on their guest list.

"Let's see…Shinpachi and Kagura will definitely be there." Gintoki glanced up at Tsukuyo. "What about Hinowa and Seita?"

"You know they'll be there," said Tsukuyo with a smile.

"Right…and how many members of the Hyakka are coming?"

Tsukuyo looked away for a second. "Er, almost all of them…"

Gintoki looked up at her like she was crazy. "Seriously?"

"They insisted on coming!" Tsukuyo exclaimed in defense. "They said that they really didn't want to miss this, so they're trying to send as many as they can while still leaving Yoshiwara attended to."

"Why didn't you just tell them to shorten it down a bit?"

Tsukuyo frowned. "I couldn't do that, they all seemed so happy. Besides, we can make it work out, can't we? There's not all that many others coming anyway…"

Gintoki just stared at her for a while before looking back at his list. "We'll see what we can do..."

Tsukuyo smiled at that. "What about Katsura? You did invite him, right?"

"Against my better judgment…"

Tsukuyo rolled her eyes. "And what did he say?"

Gintoki smiled. "He told me that he's coming…and that he's bringing a date."

Tsukuyo's eyes widened. "Really? Who is he bringing?"

Gintoki's smile turned into a grin. "Not sure; he didn't say. Although, I do have an idea of who it could be…" Gintoki looked up and saw Tsukuyo give him a look of confusion. "I'll tell you later," he said.

Tsukuyo just shrugged. "Alright then, good for him."

"Yeah, good for him," Gintoki retorted as his smile slowly faded. "Now we're going to have another mouth to feed."

Tsukuyo sighed. "You know that we can accommodate for that, Gintoki. It won't be any trouble."

"I suppose…"

Tsukuyo paused while she glanced down at Gintoki's list. "Who else is on there?" she asked.

Gintoki also scanned over the paper. "Let's see…"

At that moment, a man suddenly came bursting through the door. This new arrival immediately caught everyone's attention and they quickly turned to see what exactly was going on.

Gintoki just looked at the man before he looked up at Tsukuyo and pointed back at him. "There's him," he said.

"Gin-san!" the man exclaimed the moment he laid eyes on the samurai. "I've been looking for you! I've got great news!"

"Well, hello to you too, Hasegawa-san," Shinpachi mumbled from his place opposite Gintoki. It was no use. For some reason, it seemed like the madao was just too excited to listen to anyone at the moment.

Gintoki just gave Hasegawa a blank stare. "What are you so excited about?"

"Oh, it's just the greatest thing ever!" Hasegawa exclaimed gleefully. "I can't even believe that this actually happened! You're not going to believe it either!"

Gintoki was growing more and more curious by the second. So were the others. "What?" he repeated. "What happened?"

"I mean, I always hoped that this might happen someday. I really did wish for this! And now, it's finally come true! "

Now Gintoki was starting to grow a little angry. "What are you talking about? Just say it already!"

"I think that it's safe to say that my luck has turned around for good! Yep, I still can't believe-"

Gintoki suddenly jumped up from his seat and lifted Hasegawa off of the ground by his shirt. "Damn it man, just spit it out already!" he yelled straight into the madao's face.

Hasegawa suddenly realized that might have been being a little too dramatic about the whole thing. He gave a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, sorry about that…"

"Forget it," said Gintoki, dropping the man to the floor. "Just tell us what you need to tell us."

Tsukuyo walked over to stand next to Gintoki. "What's the big news, Hasegawa?" she asked politely.

Hasegawa just gave a big goofy smile before he started speaking. "Right, well…remember how I landed that nice job a few months ago?"

Gintoki raised an eyebrow at this. "What happened? Did you lose it?"

"Why would I be happy about that!?" Hasegawa barked at the samurai. "No, my job is going fine, thank you. No, on second thought, it's been going great! I've been able to make a living for myself! It's wonderful! And now, because of this, I've actually been able to take the chance to reconnect with Hatsu!"

"Hatsu?" Tsukuyo whispered to Gintoki.

"His wife," he informed her.

"Anyways," Hasegawa continued, "she ended up being really pleased with me! I think that she was glad that I finally managed to not screw something up!"

"Well, there's always time-"

Gintoki's words were cut short as Tsukuyo jabbed him in the side while also giving him a glare. "Be nice!" she hissed.

Shinpachi suddenly decided to join the conversation. "So, what ended up happening then, Hasegawa-san?"

Hasegawa's smile grew as wide as it could. "Well, we ended up spending a lot more time together and things really improved for us. And then, just this morning, she finally agreed that we could start living together again!"

Everyone looked at the man out of surprise. They had not been expecting this good piece of news.

"Wow, really? That's wonderful, Hasegawa-san!" exclaimed Shinpachi with a smile.

"Congratulations," said Tsukuyo. "It sounds like you've finally found your happiness."

"Good for you," said Gintoki with a small smile.

"Indeed," said Otae, "congrats, Hasegawa-san." The others said much of the same.

"Thanks, you guys," said Hasegawa, who was still grinning. "I'm just so happy that things worked out between us. I really do love that woman…"

The room went silent as everyone stared at Hasegawa with a smile. They were truly happy for the typically unlucky man. It looked like things were finally starting to look up for him.

After a while, Gintoki eventually cleared his throat. "Alright, alright, so your life is perfect now. Let's move on…" Gintoki paused as he went back to his seat and grabbed his list. "Can you tell me if you're going to come to our wedding?"

Hasegawa just continued smiling. "Oh yeah, that's part of the reason why I came over here. I wanted to tell you that I actually _will_ be attending your wedding…along with a guest."

Gintoki just lowered his eyebrows as he scribbled it down on the paper. "Right, no surprise there…"

"I hope that won't be a problem," said Hasegawa with a nervous smile.

"No, of course not," Gintoki grumbled to himself. "It will just be _one more _mouth that we have to feed-"

Tsukuyo just jabbed Gintoki in the side again in order to make him shut up. "It won't be any trouble at all, Hasegawa," she said kindly.

Hasegawa beamed at this answer. "Glad to hear it! Hatsu will be excited to come too!"

Gintoki just gently rubbed his side. "For crying out loud, Tsukuyo, how many injuries are you going to give me today?"

"As many as you deserve," she said sternly.

Gintoki looked back down at his list. "Right, of course," he muttered to himself.

Tsukuyo just adopted a playful smile as she leaned over his shoulder. "So who else is left, then?"

Gintoki's eyes continued scanning over the list until a pair of names by the bottom caught his eye. "Oh right," he said as he looked at them. "I forgot to tell you that these two will be coming. They're arriving here tonight, actually."

Tsukuyo tried to see what he was looking at. "Who are they?" she asked curiously.

Gintoki just gave a small sigh before smiling. "He's an old friend of mine. His name is Sakamoto. The other one is his partner, Mutsu. They run a trading business out in space, so you've never met them before."

"Oh, I see."

At that moment, Shinpachi decided to chime in. "Did you just say that Sakamoto-san and Mutsu-san are coming here tonight?"

Gintoki gave the boy a nod. "Yeah, he told me that his fleet had set a course for Earth and that we should expect him to show up sometime tonight."

"Wait a second," said Shinpachi, "his _fleet_? Don't tell me…is he bringing the entire Kaientai to your wedding!?"

Gintoki frowned a little at that. "Hell no, I made sure of that. I told him specifically that only he and Mutsu could come. He agreed but for some reason he still insisted on bringing the entire fleet anyway. I guess they'll just be staying in Edo for the week. Not that I really care…"

"Oh, that makes more sense," said Shinpachi with a nod to show that he understood. "Well, if they're going to be showing up here tonight, then I guess it will be Tsukuyo-san's first chance to meet them."

Tsukuyo looked up. "Oh yeah, I guess so," she said with a slightly nervous smile. She turned to Gintoki. "What are they like?" she asked him.

Gintoki just looked away as he thought about it for a second. "Hmm…well they're a pretty friendly bunch, I suppose. Sakamoto is kind of just a big idiot if you ask me. Mutsu on the other hand is the cool silent type."

Tsukuyo continued looking at Gintoki. For some reason, she was feeling a little anxious about meeting Gintoki's old friends. "Is there anything I should be expecting from them?"

Gintoki simply pondered this before he gave her a small grin.

"Just expect to have your name mispronounced."

* * *

**Hey! I finally wrote a fairly long chapter! I knew it would come! I knew I could do it! Well, then again, it's not really that long…but whatever.**

**Anyways, who the hell was narrating this chapter!? Did you see where it said I was too lazy to go back and write in a small detail!? That's such a lie! When have I ever been lazy!? I mean, seriously, damn that narrator…**

**So, guess what? This story actually celebrated its one-year anniversary recently! Who knew? (I almost forgot myself XD) But yeah, wow, I've been writing this shitty story for a whole year now! I can't believe I haven't given up or anything like that! Let's hope I keep going strong for another year! And then some!**

**To celebrate making it through my first year, maybe I'll start writing another story unrelated to this one…maybe, we'll see…**

**In other news, it's back to school time next week. Yep, it's time for the spring semester, even though it's still winter. Man, I hate winter -.-' Anyways, I hope I won't be too busy, so I can keep working on this! I'm having a lot of fun writing right now, so let's hope for no long hiatuses from me! (No guarantees!)**

**I think that's it for now. As always, please leave me a review with your thoughts on the chapter and look forward to the next one! See you then!**


	39. Book 3 - Chapter 5

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 5

Night had fallen over Edo, and the atmosphere at Snack House Otose had quieted down quite a bit. Most of the others had already left earlier that day, leaving behind only Gintoki, Tsukuyo, Shinpachi, and Kagura. Otose was popping in and out from the back room, and Catherine and Tama were off doing something somewhere else. This just left the group of four to themselves as they waited for Sakamoto and Mutsu. They would be arriving any minute now.

"It's been so long since we've last seen those two," Shinpachi commented positively. "You probably never even told them about Tsukuyo-san, did you Gin-san?"

"No, I suppose I never did get the chance," Gintoki replied emotionlessly. He honestly sounded like he couldn't care less.

"Do you think they'll be surprised to find out?" Tsukuyo asked him. For some reason, she still seemed a little worried about meeting these new people.

Gintoki just glanced at her. "Are you still feeling nervous?" he asked her.

Tsukuyo paused before slowly nodding.

"Well, don't be," said Gintoki. "I told you that this guy is just a big idiot, didn't I? If you think about it, this will basically be the same as meeting Zura."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, Gin-san," said Shinpachi.

Kagura just did what she had been doing all day and stopped listening again. _I'm sick of listening to the same thing over and over again. I kind of wish the wedding was just over with already. That way, I wouldn't have to hear about it all the time…_

_But at the same time, I don't want it to happen at all! I-_

Kagura suddenly paused. She had just noticed that Gintoki was standing next to her and giving her a strange look. She simply stared back at him, a little confused.

"What are you staring at?" she asked eventually.

Gintoki did not answer her right away. He continued staring at her for a second. "You've been awfully quiet recently," he noticed. "What's up with that?"

Kagura looked away. "What's wrong with being a little quiet?" she asked him.

Gintoki frowned thoughtfully. "Nothing," he said simply, "it's just not really normal for you."

Kagura slowly turned back to look at him. She didn't really know what to say.

Gintoki continued giving her a curious look. "Is something wrong?" he asked suddenly.

Kagura's mouth fell open for a second, but she quickly closed it. "No, everything is fine," she said as she turned away again.

Gintoki knew better than to believe her. Something was up and he knew it. However, before he could inquire the girl further, a loud noise interrupted his train of thought. It was somebody laughing…

_Oh great _thought Gintoki as he shook his head. _He's here…_

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" came the annoying laugh. "Is this the place, Mutsu?"

"Yes," somebody replied bluntly.

They then appeared in the doorway. Sakamoto walked in with a big goofy smile on his face. Mutsu simply followed behind him with a mild frown. Sakamoto quickly scanned the room until he found the person he was looking for.

"Kintoki!" he cried as he approached the man.

Gintoki glared at him. "It's Gintoki, damn it, get it right!" he shouted.

Sakamoto just laughed it off. "Ah ha ha ha ha! Classic Kintoki! Tell me, how long has it been?"

Gintoki looked away, annoyed. "Not long enough," he said.

Shinpachi suddenly stepped forward to greet them. "It's nice to see you both again, Sakamoto-san, Mutsu-san."

"Same to you," said Mutsu politely.

Sakamoto just ignored the boy. He was too focused on Gintoki at the moment. "So Kintoki, is it really true?" he asked the samurai.

Gintoki just gave him a look of annoyed confusion. "Is what true?"

"Are you really getting married?" he asked eagerly.

"Of course," said Gintoki bluntly. "Why else would I even consider calling you here?"

"Wow!" said Sakamoto, amazed. "Who would've thought that you would end up with a woman? Ha, I thought that you had barely any interest in women! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Gintoki gave the man a scowl. "I don't see what's so funny about it..."

Sakamoto simply ignored him. He was having too much fun. "Oh man, Kintoki, this reminds of the women you used to date back in the day…hey, remember Anise? Ah ha ha-"

"Alright, shut up already!" Gintoki shouted, interrupting him. "Damn you're annoying."

Sakamoto frowned at this, but it was not long before he resumed smiling. "So where is your new lover? I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting her yet!"

"Right, I'll introduce you," said Gintoki. He gestured over to Tsukuyo, telling her to come over and join him. Up until now, she had been watching the duo from a distance. She started walking over.

"It's only proper that I meet her," continued Sakamoto, even though nobody was talking to him. "After all, Kintoki, I'm like your best friend!"

"If you were my best friend then you would get my freaking name right," Gintoki muttered as Tsukuyo arrived next to him. "Anyways, this is my fiancé, Tsukuyo." Gintoki then paused for a second as he eyed Sakamoto. "Did you hear what I just said? Her name is Tsukuyo. _Tsukuyo_."

Sakamoto just grinned as he held out his hand. "Right, my name is Sakamoto. It's a pleasure to meet you, Tsukuyo."

Gintoki froze as he watched the two shake hands. _What did he just say? Did he seriously just get her name right!?_

Gintoki just glared angrily at the man as Mutsu approached Tsukuyo. "The name is Mutsu," she said, taking the girl's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Tsukuyo replied politely. "I believe Gintoki mentioned that you were Sakamoto's partner?"

Mutsu rolled her eyes. "More like his babysitter…"

Tsukuyo just gave a small laugh before she smiled to herself. _Gintoki was right, they really are a friendly bunch._ She turned to look at him. Apparently, he had started shouting again…

"How's come you can get her name right but you can't learn mine after knowing me for ten whole years!?"

Sakamoto just gave him a look of confusion. "What are you talking about, Kintoki?"

"You know damned well what I'm talking about!"

Sakamoto thought about it as he put a hand to his chin. "Hmm…can't say that I do! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

A vein appeared on Gintoki's forehead. This man truly irritated him to no end.

Tsukuyo just gave him a thoughtful expression. "It's kind of amusing to see Gintoki so easily annoyed. You must have a real gift for this, Sakamoto."

"Ah, yes!" exclaimed Sakamoto gleefully. "Years of practice!"

"Isn't that the truth," Gintoki and Mutsu surprisingly mumbled at the same time. They then glanced at each other for a second before looking away.

"Anyways," said Sakamoto, still smiling, "it really is nice to see you in such a serious relationship. I'm happy for you! I mean, really, who would've thought that after all this time you would eventually settle down? Ah ha, ah ha ha ha ha-"

Sakamoto suddenly stopped laughing as Gintoki punched him hard on the back of his head. Sakamoto winced in pain.

"Ouch, what was that for?" he asked as he held his new injury.

Gintoki just continued glaring at him angrily. "I wanted you to shut up! Your laugh is annoying as hell!"

Sakamoto just innocently looked up at him. "Sheesh, why do you have to be so angry at me all the time? First it's because I call you by the wrong name and now it's because of my laugh? Just choose one thing to be angry about…"

"SO YOU DO KNOW THAT YOU CALL ME BY THE WRONG NAME!"

Gintoki immediately began beating the living shit out of his former comrade as he painfully cried out for mercy. Tsukuyo and Mutsu just watched the scene in silence. They didn't really know what to say…

Kagura, on the other hand, was getting tired of all the noise that those two were making. In fact, she was just sick of hanging around and listening to people talk about the wedding.

_I've had enough of this _she thought as she stood up. _I'm leaving. Maybe I'll just go take a walk and clear my head._

Kagura grabbed her umbrella before she started making her way to the door. As she walked, it seemed like Shinpachi was the only one who noticed her. "Are you going somewhere, Kagura-chan?" he asked her.

"Yeah, it's too noisy in here. I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later."

"Well, alright then. Don't stay out too late," he instructed her.

"Right," she said shortly. She then walked out the door as fast as she could. She didn't think that she could take another second of listening to those two morons screaming at each other. Nevertheless, the screams still carried out onto the street, and Kagura could only give a sigh as she slowly walked away…

* * *

At night, it seemed like the streets of Edo were mostly empty, allowing Kagura to walk through them without interruption. As she walked, she silently stared ahead with a small frown on her face. She had opened up her umbrella and was currently holding it over her head. Even though she didn't need it, she liked the feeling of it. Holding it like that always had a strange way of calming her down. From time to time, she would mindlessly twist the umbrella in her hands, making it spin a little.

Kagura didn't really know where she was going. She was kind of just walking around aimlessly, which she didn't mind. Honestly, she just felt like being alone for a little bit. She just wanted a little quiet time so that she could think.

_Only one week left_ she thought. _Only one week until everything changes…Gin-chan will move out, and I'll be left all alone in the apartment..._

Kagura sighed. _It just won't be the same…_

Kagura continued walking and she ended up arriving in a park. As it turns out, she was actually familiar with this particular park and had visited it many times before. She just glanced around for a second before she continued her stroll.

_I'll bet it will be really lonely after he's gone_ Kagura thought dismally. _I mean, Shinpachi has his sister, and Gin-chan will have Tsukky, but I'll be left all alone. The only one that I have is Sadaharu, and maybe Gran sometimes…_

Kagura's frown grew slightly larger as she dwelled on this. She had always been alone. Throughout her entire life, she had been constantly abandoned and left in solitude. First it was her father, who had always been away for long periods of time. Then it was her brother, who had left their family back when they were just kids. And eventually, it was her mother, who succumbed to her illness and unfortunately died, ultimately leaving the young girl alone once more. It was always the same thing, over and over again…

And now this time, it would be Gintoki who was leaving her…

Kagura suddenly stopped walking as she cursed. _Stupid Gin-chan. Why did you have to fall in love? We were fine before you met Tsukky, weren't we? Why do you have to get married? Why can't everything just remain the same?_

Kagura clenched her fists as she began growing angrier. _None of this is fair! I don't want any of these stupid changes! Why does this have to happen? WHY!?_

Without thinking, Kagura suddenly kicked the trunk of a nearby tree. The force of the kick was so powerful that the tree immediately cracked at the base. The entire top portion then fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Kagura just winced as she heard the loud noise. She hadn't meant to cause such a commotion. She quickly looked around to make sure that no one had seen or heard. Once she was satisfied, she just raised her umbrella up again as she sighed.

_I wouldn't mind if the wedding was canceled _she thought to herself. _Maybe then things could just go back to normal. __But…I guess that's not going to happen…_

Kagura's eyes suddenly widened as she ceased all thought. She stood still.

_No, I can't keep thinking these things _she told herself.

Kagura then took a deep breath before hardening her resolve. _This isn't about me. This is about Gin-chan and Tsukky finding happiness together. I don't want to ruin that..._

_It's for the best if I just keep my mouth shut. My opinion doesn't really matter that much. I can live with this. It might not even be so bad. Just stay positive, Kagura…_

Kagura slowly inhaled and exhaled while she straightened up. She then started walking again. _I can live with this _she told herself over and over. _I can live with this…_

* * *

Unbeknownst to the young Yato girl, three onlookers were secretly watching her movements from a distance. They all stood on top of a nearby building that overlooked the park. The darkness hid them well, cloaking them in shadows…

"Holy shit," said Matako, her mouth open in shock. "Did you guys just see that?"

"Yes," said Abuto calmly as he crossed his arms. "So she knocked over a tree with a kick, big deal."

Matako glared at the male Yato for a second before turning away. She lightly clenched her teeth. "I didn't know that the brat was this powerful."

"Yes, she has matured quite nicely," mumbled Takechi in an approving tone.

Matako just gave him a look of disgust. "You are such a lolicon! How can you even defend yourself!?"

"I am not a lolicon, I am a feminist."

"You just say that as a cover up!"

"Alright, alright, shut up!" Abuto whispered loudly at the girl. "We can't let the target know that we're here, can we?"

Matako just frowned as she crossed her arms. "Whatever," she mumbled.

Abuto rolled his eyes as glanced back at the lone Yato girl. "Anyways, it would look like this is the prime opportunity that we have been waiting for. She's finally all by herself with no one around. Should we go ahead and proceed with the plan?"

Takechi put a hand to his chin as he considered this. "Yes, I don't think that we will get an opportunity as good as this one. Let's go with it."

A smile appeared on Abuto's face. "Great, let's get started then. Are you prepared, Matako-san?"

Matako just gave a nod as she loaded her gun. It was now ready for use. "Did you bring the drug with you, Takechi-senpai?" she asked while she glanced at the strategist.

"Of course," he replied. "You two just do your thing, and then I'll be down there to finish the job."

"Sounds good," said Abuto as he raised his umbrella. He turned to Matako. "Ready?" he asked her.

Matako just looked down at the girl in the park and took careful aim with her gun. "Ready," she replied firmly.

Abuto faced forward again with a small smile. "Right, here goes."

And with that, the Yato leaped off of the building and plummeted towards the ground below. When he reached the bottom, he soundlessly bounced off of the pavement and leaped into the park.

_Time to make a little noise_ he thought as he instantly began running. It was not long before he flew past the girl.

Kagura immediately became alert and turned around. _What was that?_ She quickly looked around. She had definitely just heard something rush past her…

Just then, something struck Kagura in the back of her neck. She flew forward a little bit from the force of the impact. She quickly turned around again. Somebody had actually hit her this time.

"Who's out there?" she yelled. She raised her umbrella up defensively. She was definitely under attack.

Kagura's eyes darted in every direction, wildly trying to locate the position of her attackers. While she did this, she unconsciously began to reach for the back of her neck. It stung back there. She figured that she must have just been shot or something…

Kagura's arm suddenly stopped reaching. It slowly dropped back to her side. Kagura blinked. _Huh? _she wondered.

She looked around again. Everything was different now. Her vision was hazy, and her eyes began to droop. Her umbrella dropped to the ground. She could feel herself starting to lose consciousness.

"Damn it," she breathed before finally falling forward and landing on the ground. She was now completely asleep.

Abuto just watched in silence for a moment to make sure that the plan had worked. He then smiled to himself before whistling up to his comrades back at the building. This way, they knew that the plan was a success.

He then walked up to the girl and looked down at her. It would be a little while before Matako and Takechi would arrive. In the meantime, he just considered how brilliantly their plan had played out. Their strategy had been to grab Kagura's attention from behind, forcing her to turn around. At that exact instant, Matako would shoot the girl from behind with a sleeping drug, effectively knocking her out. As it turns out, the plan had worked perfectly.

It was not long before Matako and Takechi joined Abuto. Upon arrival, Matako just glanced down at Kagura. "Well, that was easy," she said.

"Yep," agreed Abuto, "she completely fell for it."

Takechi began fumbling about with a small case that he had brought with him. "Doing things like this is rather simple when you have a good plan to follow."

Matako nudged Kagura with her foot. "It looks like it only took one dose of our sleeping drug to knock her out too."

Abuto gave the woman a smile. "I'm surprised that your weapon didn't make any noise when it went off. Very sneaky."

Matako just spun the gun around her finger triumphantly. "Well, you said that the Yato are very alert. I didn't want the loud noise to draw her attention at the last second before my shot hit. After all, that might have given her a chance to dodge."

Abuto continued smiling as he eyed the unconscious girl. "Perhaps."

"In any case," said Matako, crouching down close to the girl, "this dose should keep her knocked out for a while now. She won't be needing this." Matako then reached out and grabbed a small needle-like object poking out of Kagura's neck. This is what she had shot at the girl and what had ultimately forced her to lose consciousness. Matako gently pulled it out before pocketing it. "We shouldn't leave any evidence behind," she explained.

"Good idea, Matako-san," said Takechi as he stepped forward. He then lifted up a shot that was full of a bright red liquid. "I have the Dragon Rage ready to go," he announced.

"Good," said Abuto. "Let's hurry up and inject her with it. We should get out of here before someone finds us."

"Right," he replied, leaning in close to Kagura. He grabbed ahold of the girl's arm, and raised the shot up to it. He carefully positioned the needle before inserting into her skin. Once it was in deep enough, Takechi slowly released the liquid into her bloodstream.

"Once this enters her system, it will take a little time to become active," he explained while he worked. "Before that time comes, the drug will remain dormant, even if she becomes angry or upset."

"How long will it take to be ready?" asked Abuto curiously.

"Based on our studies, we can guess that it will probably become active sometime tomorrow. We can't be sure of the exact time, but nevertheless, the girl should still be ready to blow once it's finished."

Takechi finished with his injection and removed the needle from the girl. He then stood up. "There, now all we have to do is report back to Shinsuke-dono and let him know that the target is ready to make a move."

"Great, let's head back," said Abuto, starting to leave.

"Wait a second," said Matako, pointing down at the girl. "Should we just leave her here like this? Won't that seem kind of suspicious?"

"Oh, there's no harm in that," said Takechi confidently. "I'm pretty sure that she's already suspicious, anyways. She knew that she was being attacked before she was knocked out. She'll just feel a little confused when she wakes up. Hopefully, she'll just shrug everything off and return home. After all, we'll already be long gone."

Matako just shrugged with a frown. "Alright, makes sense," she said simply.

With that, the three of them started walking away from the scene. As they left, Abuto looked back and flashed a malicious grin.

"I can't wait to see what happens next," he whispered to himself.

* * *

The next morning, a young Shinsengumi officer casually patrolled through the park. He stopped however, upon noticing something out of the ordinary. Apparently, one of the trees in the park had somehow been knocked over. The young man just stared at the fallen tree while he put his hands in his pockets.

_What could have caused this? _Okita Sogo wondered to himself.

He decided to take a closer inspection. He soon noticed the jagged, cracked bottom of the tree. Sogo looked over at the nearby stump. It had a matching top. It appeared that somebody had used force to knock the tree over as opposed to cleanly cutting it down.

"Hm," the boy said as he stood up straight. He decided to look around the park. Perhaps he could find a clue as to who or what had done this. He continued walking down the path that he was on. Oddly enough, it was not long before he stumbled upon an unconscious girl lying right in the middle of the park.

Sogo stopped as he curiously stared down at her. "Well, what do we have here?"

* * *

**Oh boy, it looks like Kagura's in trouble now! She's definitely in for a surprise when she wakes up XD Anyways, that was the chapter! I hope you liked it!**

**In other news, I actually ended up deciding to start up another story! That's right, I finally followed through on my warnings! XD Anyway, it's a One Punch Man story, and it focuses on the pairing of Saitama x Fubuki. So, if you like that, go check it out! It's on my profile.**

**On the note of future updates, I'm thinking about going with a rhythmical kind of release schedule. In other words, I'll plan on updating each story one at a time. For example, I'll upload a new chapter for this story, then one for my other story, and then one for Silver Moon again. This is just something that I'll try for now, and if I like it, I'll go with it! I think that sounds pretty fair. So yeah…this is what you can expect unless I decide to focus on only one story for whatever reason. As always, I won't promise anything! XD**

**In any case, I'll try to make sure that you guys stay informed. I know what it feels like to be left in the dark, and trust me, it **_**really freaking sucks**_**! But yeah, if you ever have questions or want to contact me, please feel free to! You guys should hopefully know by now that I almost always respond to any questions (unless answering reveals spoilers for the story, of course!)**

**And that's about it for now. As always, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter! Things are about to start heating up ;)**


	40. Book 3 - Chapter 6

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 6

As Sogo glanced down at the unconscious China girl before him, he just happily started grinning to himself. He had just stumbled upon a grand opportunity.

"Let's see…destruction of public property, loitering in the middle of a path; she's in quite a bit of trouble this time around."

Sogo then paused as he continued staring at the girl. _Hmm…but why is she here though? _he couldn't help but wonder to himself. _I mean, seriously, did she just knock over a tree and then decide to take a nap here? I know that you're crazy, China, but this defies even your logic…_

_Maybe I should just ask her _he thought with another grin. "Hey, China, what are you doing sleeping in the middle of a park?" he asked calmly.

Kagura simply continued snoozing. No doubt she hadn't even caught a word of what the young Shinsengumi officer was mumbling to her.

"No response, huh?" asked Sogo as his grin turned into a wicked smile. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to beat it out of you then."

Without a second thought, Sogo slowly lifted his leg up before bringing it down right on the back of Kagura's head. He cheerfully did this a few more times.

"Hey, China, are you listening to me?" he asked in the same calm tone.

"OUCH!" Kagura screamed as she jerked awake. She immediately curled up before holding a hand to the back of her head. "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh good, you're awake," said Sogo pleasantly.

Kagura just looked up at him, her eyes slowly widening. "Sadist!? What are you-"

Kagura suddenly paused as the memories of the night before came rushing back to her. The last thing that she remembered was that she was in the middle of being attacked…

Kagura shot a glare up at him. "So it was you!?" she screamed. "You're the one who attacked me last night!?"

"Huh?" asked Sogo, a little taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb!" she yelled as she hopped to her feet, fists raised in anger. "I know it was you!"

Sogo raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. "You were attacked last night?"

"Yes, and I know that it was you that did it! Admit it!"

Sogo just glanced at her with a perfectly straight face. "Man, China, you're even more insane than I thought you were. I think you might have finally gone off the deep end."

"What did you just say!?" asked Kagura, growing angrier by the second.

Sogo just gave a smirk as he looked away. "Heh, I don't know what you're on about, but I didn't attack you last night. I actually found you just now, sleeping away right here in the middle of the park."

"That's a lie!" Kagura barked at him. "I don't believe it!"

Sogo just sighed as he looked back at her. "You're such a simpleton, China. It should be obvious that I'm telling the truth."

"Oh yeah? Then prove it!" she demanded.

Sogo rolled his eyes. "In case you hadn't noticed yet, it's _morning_. If I had attacked you last night, then why would I be here right now?"

Kagura just looked around. _It really is morning _she noticed. _I guess he has a point. Whoever did attack me would have been here hours ago, and would also be long gone by now. Not to mention, if it had been this Sadist, there's no doubt he would have stomped on my head the first chance he got. He wouldn't have put it off until morning like this…_

Kagura lowered her fists as she looked away. "Hmph, your story checks out, I guess…"

Sogo crossed his arms as he looked at her. "Of course it does. Isn't that what I've been telling you? Honestly, if you ask me, I think you've finally gone mental."

"Oh, do you?" asked Kagura casually as she started looking around. She seemed to be scanning the park.

"Yes, I do" Sogo replied proudly. "As a matter of fact, I don't even think that you were attacked last night. I mean, just look at you. You don't even have any injuries."

Kagura just ignored him as she continued scanning the surrounding area. She knew what she had seen and heard the night before. "Say, you haven't seen anybody suspicious around here lately, have you?"

Sogo gave the girl another curious look. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"Never mind," said Kagura, lightly clenching her teeth as she stopped searching. _I guess they got away…_

Sogo simply continued to curiously stare at the girl. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel like she was acting stranger than usual today. In fact, this entire situation just screamed weird. Something was definitely off…

"Hey China," he began in a surprisingly soft tone, "is everything alright?"

Kagura gave him a glare for a second before turning away. "Everything is fine," she told him as she started walking off. "See ya later…"

Sogo simply pocketed his hands as he started to watch her go. He thought about calling her back, but he didn't really see any point in it. He wanted to know why she was acting so unusual today, but he knew that he probably couldn't get a useful answer out of her.

Sogo watched the girl until she eventually disappeared from sight. His eyes then slowly drifted over to the fallen tree trunk that he had passed by earlier.

_Oh shit_ he thought. _I forgot to write her up for this…_

* * *

Meanwhile, Matako, Takechi, and Abuto walked into the helm of their ship, which still resided in a forest clearing. Upon entering the room, they all came to a halt next to each other as they faced their comrades. Takasugi sat at the head of the table, calmly smoking his kiseru. Bansai was at the other end of the room, sitting by the window and lightly playing music.

And then there was Kamui, who was the first one to notice their return. He was currently leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. His legs were also crossed and were resting on top of the table before him. "Oh, you guys are back," he said as he casually glanced over to them.

This comment caught the attention of Takasugi and Bansai, who also turned to greet their returning comrades.

"Welcome back," said Bansai as he continued strumming his instrument.

Takasugi just gave them a small grin. "Well, how did it go?" he asked them with interest in his tone. "Were you able to find an opportunity?"

"We were," said Matako with a triumphant smile. "We managed to find the girl when she was all by herself in an empty park."

Kamui suddenly leaned forward so that he was sitting up straight. "Did your plan work?" he asked curiously.

"Yep, it went off without a hitch," Abuto replied with a smile. "We knocked her out with ease."

"I see," said Takasugi, taking in every word. "And the Dragon Rage?"

"It now rests within the target," said Takechi confidently.

Takasugi's smile naturally grew larger. "Excellent…and you're sure that nobody saw you?"

"No sir," answered Takechi in a respectful tone.

Takasugi slowly leaned back in his chair as he brought his pipe to his lips. "Just what I wanted to hear. Good work, all of you."

Abuto just shrugged at this. "It was child's play, really."

"So now what?" Kamui asked suddenly. "We wait for her to blow up, or whatever?"

Matako gave a sigh. "She's not going to explode, you idiot. Weren't you listening when all of this was explained?"

"I think he meant 'blow up' figuratively," Bansai chimed in from the back.

"Right, what he said," said Kamui with an innocent smile.

As Matako started glaring at the Yato, Abuto just calmly walked over and took a seat next to his captain. He then leaned over and whispered into his ear. "You really thought that she would explode, didn't you, captain?"

"Shut up, Abuto," he whispered back, still innocently smiling.

"Anyways, he is correct" said Takasugi as he exhaled from his kiseru. "The next step is to wait around for the drug to take its effect. How long did you say that would take, Takechi?"

"It could be ready at any time today," the strategist explained. "At the very least, I think that we will have our results by tonight."

Takasugi continued staring at him. "And you have one of our spies keeping tabs on her at the moment, correct?"

"That's right," he replied. "He will let us know the instant the girl begins going on a rampage."

Takasugi smiled at this. "Perfect, then it looks like we can just sit around and relax while the plan unfolds. After all, it is only a matter of time…"

Takasugi turned around to look out of the window at the end of the room. He stared at it for a moment before he turned back to face the strategist once more. "Takechi, our target, this Yato girl…you know her name, correct?"

Takechi looked a little surprised to hear this. So did everybody else in the room. "I do," he replied truthfully.

"Remind me of what it is again," Takasugi requested.

Takechi gave his superior a weird look, but he still answered him nonetheless. "Kagura. Her name is Kagura."

"Kagura…" Takasugi whispered, as if he were tossing the name around in his head. "I'll be referring to her by that name from now on."

This statement only managed to earn the terrorist even more weird looks from his subordinates. Matako decided to ask the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Why are you bothering to learn her name, Shinsuke-sama?"

Takasugi glanced at her before staring out the window again. "Because," he began calmly, "this girl, Kagura, is more than a target to us now. As of this moment, she is now our precious asset; a tool of destruction to be used for our own benefit."

Takasugi then paused before bringing his kiseru back to his lips. "Whether she realizes it or not, she's actually one of us now. Kagura, our weapon for striking against Gintoki..."

Takasugi then closed his eyes as he gave a small shrug. "At the very least, she deserves a little respect from us. After all, she's the one who is going to be laying the groundwork for our plan. Even if she is basically just a stepping stone, I won't deny that she holds value for us, and I will respect her for that…and it is for that reason that I will call her Kagura…"

As Takasugi brought his words to a close, the others just stared at him in silence. Even if they didn't fully understand his way of thinking, they couldn't deny that he had a really talented and poetic way of explaining it. At the very least, they all respected his decision and his justification for it…

All except for Kamui, that is, who simply shrugged. "I'm just going to keep calling her 'weakling'…"

* * *

At some point on Kagura's journey back to the Odd Jobs building, she had started to sprint. Maybe it was because she felt a little uneasy after randomly being attack, or maybe it was because she was worried about what the others were probably thinking, but either way, she felt like she had to get home as soon as possible.

_They're probably worried sick, wondering where I am right now _she thought with a frown. _I need to hurry up and get there already!_

Kagura then tried to take a deep breath in order to calm herself down. Despite this, she still continued running. _I should probably tell them that I was attacked too. It's possible that we have enemies out there right now. Gin-chan and Shinpachi might also be targets for an upcoming attack._

Eventually, Kagura turned onto the street where she lived before she breathed a quick sigh of relief. "Finally!" she exclaimed as she dashed straight to her home. She didn't stop scurrying until she was up the steps and in front of the door. She then took a few seconds to catch her breath.

"I made it," she said, before slowly sliding open the door. She walked inside and immediately went down the hallway that lead to the main room. She just slid the door open before entering.

"Gin-chan, I'm back," she said quietly as she looked around. She soon stopped; what she had found surprised her. Across the room, sitting at his desk, awaited an angry Gintoki. He silently glared at her as she walked in.

"Gin-chan?" asked Kagura, giving him a weird look.

"Where the hell have you been?" he muttered.

"Huh?" asked Kagura, a little confused.

"I said where the hell have you been!?" Gintoki repeated, rising up out of his seat a little. "I've been worried sick wondering where you went!"

His attitude took Kagura by surprise. She had not expected him to be angry like this. In fact, she had mostly expected him to be concerned. I mean, sure, he seemed a little worried for her wellbeing, but he mostly appeared to be angry.

"What's your deal?" Kagura blurted out without thinking.

"My deal?" repeated Gintoki in a heated tone. "My deal is that you were gone all night long! What the hell happened? Where were you!?"

Kagura gave him an upset look, but answered anyway. "I just went for a walk for a little bit when-"

"A little bit!?" Gintoki interrupted her. "Since when is all night just a little bit!? You've always come home at night before! Why didn't you do that this time!?"

Kagura was slowly losing her patience with this guy. It seemed like he was overreacting and getting angry at her for no reason at all. Not to mention, none of this had been within her control.

"I wanted to come back last night!" she said in a slightly raised voice. "I-"

Gintoki cut her off again. "Then why didn't you? Didn't you know that we would be worried about you!? Didn't you think about anyone other than yourself!?"

Kagura paused before furrowing her brow at him. "Are you saying that I'm being selfish?" she asked quietly.

Gintoki stared back at her, still bitter. "Yes, I am."

Upon hearing this, Kagura gave the samurai a full-on glare as she clenched her fists. _He won't even let me explain myself before he starts criticizing me. I've had enough. Gin-chan is way out of line..._

"You don't even care…" she muttered through clenched teeth.

Gintoki's eyes widened out of surprise. "What did you just say?" he whispered.

"You don't even care about me," Kagura repeated, this time a little louder.

Gintoki continued glaring at her. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That's not true and you know it," he told her.

"No, it _is _true," Kagura spitefully insisted. She then crossed her arms as she turned away. "Honestly, I don't even know why you're so angry at me right now. I didn't even do anything wrong. I stayed out late, so what? I'm practically an adult, right? After all, I'll be living on my own once you're gone, so why should I even listen to you?"

Gintoki could feel himself becoming more and more irritated as he listened to the girl. Eventually, he stood up as he slammed his hands down on his desk. "You don't know what you're talking about! I'm only angry because I was worried about you! Even if you are growing up, I'm still going to care about you! I'm still going to get concerned when you go missing like that! Don't talk like you know everything, you brat!"

Kagura just glared at him once more before turning away again. It was too late; she didn't care about what he had to say anymore…

"Whatever," she muttered as she walked back towards the door. "I'm done listening to you."

Gintoki watched her start to leave. "Hey, where do you think you're going!? We're not done talking yet!"

"Well I am," Kagura said in a matter-of-fact tone. "See ya."

Gintoki continued shouting after her. "Hey, get back here! Kagura! KAGURA!"

It was no use; the girl had already walked all the way out to the front and through the door. She was gone.

Gintoki just fell back into his seat. He then tightly gripped the arms of his chair. "That damn teenage bitch," he cursed. "What the hell was that all about!?"

Gintoki took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down. There was no point in being angry now; she had already left.

_Damn it, did I push her too far or something? I wasn't even really that upset. In fact, I was just trying to teach her a lesson for disappearing on us like that. It was mostly supposed to be an act, like that time when she asked me for a New Year's Envelope. It wasn't anything too serious. But then…_

Gintoki couldn't helped it. He could feel rage welling up within him again.

_But then she went and said all that shit about me not caring! What was that all about? I mean, I know I was a little hard on her, but she went way too far with those comments! How could she say those things!? Doesn't she understand that I was just worried about her!? _

Once again, Gintoki had to go through the process of calming himself down. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere if he just kept ranting like this. He took a few minutes to think over what had happened the last few days.

_Hmm…now that I think about it, Kagura has been acting strange lately. She's been oddly quiet around me, which isn't normal for her. Hell, even the fact that she stayed out all night is strange. I asked her about her behavior last night, but she didn't say anything…_

_Hmm…could all of this possibly explain her sudden outburst?_ he wondered.

Gintoki then shook his head. This whole situation was causing him too much stress. He just looked over to the latest copy of Shonen Jump, which lay nearby on his desk. He picked it up before flipping through it.

_Eh, I'll just get to the bottom of this later…_

* * *

Later that day, Takasugi lightly drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. He was patiently and anxiously waiting for some information on their mobile weapon.

Just then, Takechi entered the room. A minute earlier, he had left to contact the spy that was responsible for follow the girl.

Takasugi glanced over to him, as did everyone else. "Well, Takechi, any news on our lovely little Kagura?" he asked.

Takechi shook his head. "Nothing yet, Shinsuke-dono."

Takasugi continued staring at him for a second before turning away and giving a smirk.

"Soon," he said. "Very soon…"

* * *

That evening, Tsukuyo quietly opened the front door of Odd Jobs Gin before walking inside. As she walked down the hall, she nervously smiled. As it turns out, Tsukuyo was going to be cooking dinner for the Odd Jobs crew that night. This was going to be a way for the courtesan to test her newly acquired cooking skills that she had picked up from Hinowa. In all honesty, Tsukuyo did feel a little apprehensive about what the others would think of her improved cooking ability, but at the same time, she did feel rather confident in her skills. She simply hoped for the best.

Upon entering the main room, Tsukuyo found Gintoki and Shinpachi sitting there waiting for her. "Hey guys, I'm here," she greeted them.

"Good evening, Tsukuyo-san," said Shinpachi with a polite wave.

"Hey there," said Gintoki casually as he looked up from his desk. He gave her a smile. "Are you ready to start making dinner, _honey_?"

Tsukuyo's eyes narrowed when she heard that. She was almost sure that he had uttered the word "honey" sarcastically. She just gave a sly smile as she responded. "I sure am, _Kintoki_."

The smile quickly disappeared from Gintoki's face. "That's not funny," he told her seriously.

"Really?" asked Tsukuyo with a snicker. "Because I think it's pretty funny."

Gintoki remained serious as he stared at her. "You wouldn't think it was so funny if that idiot called you 'Scooter' or something like that."

"No, it's really only funny when he calls you Kintoki," she said with a playful smile.

Gintoki just leaned back in his chair as he crossed his arms. "Well great, I'm glad I can help amuse you then."

Tsukuyo gave another small laugh at this before glancing around the room. She suddenly noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Kagura at?" she asked him.

Gintoki remained silent for a second before he pointed a finger skyward. "She's up on the roof, sulking."

"She's sulking?" asked Tsukuyo, confused. "Why?"

Shinpachi suddenly decided to speak up. "Now that you mention it, Tsukuyo-san, I'm not sure what's going on with her either. She was already up there when I got here and Gin-san hasn't explained anything."

The two of them turned to the samurai at the same time, waiting for an explanation. In response, Gintoki just shrugged. "It's nothing really. She's probably just upset about the argument we had earlier."

"You guys had an argument earlier?" asked Shinpachi, surprised.

"What happened?" asked Tsukuyo.

"Well…like I said, it was nothing really," Gintoki persisted. "I basically just scolded her for staying out all night without telling anyone."

"She stayed out all night?" repeated Shinpachi as he looked away. "That's odd, she's never done that before…"

"So you ended up yelling at her?" asked Tsukuyo, who was trying to follow along.

"Yeah," admitted Gintoki, "but it wasn't anything too serious. I was mostly just trying to teach her a lesson for making me worry like that. I mean, I didn't even know where she was…"

"You didn't?" asked Shinpachi. "I thought I told you last night that Kagura had gone out for a walk. Weren't you listening?"

Gintoki just gave the boy a small glare. "Well I'm sorry, but it's kind of hard to hear you when I have Sakamoto standing over my shoulder laughing his ass off the whole time. Honestly, I think that his '_Ah ha ha ha ha_' is still ringing in my ears."

"Uh oh," said Tsukuyo, looking concerned. "So did you two end up having a misunderstanding or something?"

Gintoki nodded. "Yeah, I scolded her a little and I guess she didn't take it well. She said some stuff back which actually made me angry, but then she just blew me off before I could say anything else. Later, I discovered that she had snuck up to the roof, and she's been hanging around up there all day."

Gintoki then paused before looking around. "By the way, is it just me, or does Kagura seem like she's been acting a little strange lately?"

Tsukuyo was silent at first, but she eventually gave a nod. "I have noticed that she seems a lot quieter lately."

"Yeah," agreed Shinpachi, "she hasn't been her usual peppy self."

"That's what I thought too," said Gintoki. "Her behavior is definitely unusual for her character. The fact that she's been so quiet, and the fact that she lashed out at me this morning; it makes me think that there might be something wrong with her…"

"You think something could be bothering her?" suggested Tsukuyo.

"Possibly," answered Gintoki as he turned away. "I honestly have no idea. I've been focusing on the wedding so much recently that I've hardly had any time to even pay attention to the girl."

The room went silent after this. Everyone was preoccupied with concern over the Yato girl and they wondered if she was doing okay. She had never been known to have behaved quite like this before…

Eventually, Tsukuyo looked over to Gintoki. "Hey Gintoki, by any chance, did you notice that there was something wrong with Kagura before today?"

Gintoki gave her a weird look. "Of course, I've actually noticed it over the past few days."

Tsukuyo just shook her head before looking back at the samurai. "So, you thought it would be a good idea to yell at her when you knew that something must be upsetting her?"

Gintoki paused for a second. "Er, well, I-"

Shinpachi jumped in where Tsukuyo left off. "How could you have thought that was a good idea, Gin-san?"

Gintoki just sat there with a dumb look on his face as he heavily began to sweat.

"Did you even consider her feelings, Gintoki?"

"Why didn't you treat her more gently, Gin-san?"

"Were you even thinking rationally?"

"Did you think it would be funny to yell at her like that?"

"Poor Kagura, she must be feeling awful right now."

"I hope she hasn't been too upset with all of this."

"I wonder if she's crying her eyes out-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Gintoki suddenly screamed. "So I screwed up, okay? Geez!"

Tsukuyo just crossed her arms. "Yeah, I'll say you did."

Gintoki just held his head in his hands. "Thanks, Tsukuyo, that really helps," he mumbled.

Shinpachi just stared up at the ceiling with a concerned look. "We should probably go do something to try and help her feel better," he suggested.

Gintoki looked up from his hands. "You think I should go talk to her?" he asked.

Tsukuyo quickly held up a hand to stop him. "No, I think you've already done enough damage," she told him with a sigh. "Let me go up there and talk to her. I'm sure I can try to calm her down and get her to come back with me. After that, I can start making us dinner."

"Are you sure?" asked Gintoki.

"Yeah, I think I can handle it," she said with a confident smile.

"Well, alright then. Thank you, sweetheart."

Tsukuyo actually didn't hear any sarcasm in his tone this time, which made her slightly blush. Apparently, married life would bring about a whole assortment of new nicknames. Tsukuyo found this somewhat embarrassing. She just turned away before she stared heading for the hallway.

"Don't take too long!" Gintoki added with a smile. "I'm getting hungry."

Tsukuyo just stopped in the doorway before she looked back with a smile of her own. "I won't," she told him. "After all, I'm just going to talk to her…"

* * *

**Wow! I had quite a few different scenes to fit into this chapter! I hope the chapter doesn't feel like it's all over the place because of that though. All I want is for the story to flow smoothly. Is that too much to ask? (I guess it's my fault if it doesn't flow well though XD)**

**Anyways, I wonder if this chapter seemed kind of ominous. Things are definitely about to go down, that's for sure. I'm really excited for the next chapter! I hope you are too!**

**And I think that's actually about all I have to say for now. It looks like I'm finally learning how to write shorter author notes at the end of each chapter! It's about time I learned to just shut up XD As always, please feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter! Thank you! Goodbye!**


	41. Book 3 - Chapter 7

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 7

Kagura was silently laying on the roof, staring up at the stars. She had her body stretched out in front of her, and she was using her crossed arms as a cushion for her head. It wasn't the most comfortable position in the world, but it worked.

As for the girl's mood, it seemed like she had actually managed to calm herself down. Earlier that day, she had originally crawled up on the roof to hide from the others. She wanted some time to herself, to just sit and pout and complain about whatever the hell she wanted to. She just wanted to do something that would help vent some of her anger. And finally, after sitting in the warm and breezy weather all day, her anger had eventually petered out. She had managed to get her temper under control, and now all she wanted to do was just be alone and enjoy the peace and quiet of the night.

_I just want to be alone _Kagura thought as she continued watching the stars. _Peace and quiet, all by myself…_

_It will be just like when Gin-chan leaves me…I'll be left all alone…_

Kagura's blank expression suddenly turned into a scowl. _Hmph…fine by me. If he wants to leave, then I should just let him. I'll probably be better off without him! That way, he won't yell at me anymore. I'll finally get all the peace and quiet that I want…it will be perfect…_

As much as Kagura wanted herself to smile, she couldn't do it. Instead, her frown just grew larger as she looked off to the side. _Oh, who am I kidding? Letting Gin-chan leave is the last thing I want…even if he does get angry sometimes…I mean, why does all of this stuff have to happen anyway? Why does there have to be change in my life? Why do I have to take the blame for stuff that's not even my fault? Why do I just end up getting angry at the people I care about?_

Kagura gave a sigh before closing her eyes. "Life sucks sometimes…" she whispered to herself. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and continued gazing at the stars.

Suddenly, a noise caught Kagura's attention from her left. The girl just looked over as she watched a hand grasp the edge of the roof. It was not long before it was followed by an arm, and eventually the rest of Tsukuyo as she pulled herself up. Once she was steadily on top of the building, she glanced over to the girl. "Ah, Kagura, there you are."

Kagura just glanced at Tsukuyo as she continued to frown. Honestly, she wasn't too happy to see the courtesan right now. _What's she doing here? _she wondered to herself.

Tsukuyo gave the girl a soft smile. "Gintoki said that you would be up here."

"Did he?" asked Kagura in an uncaring tone.

Tsukuyo gave Kagura a sympathetic look. She could tell that the girl was still upset. "Yeah, he told me about the fight that you two had earlier."

"Good for you then," said Kagura rudely before she could stop herself. She then winced before peeking over at the courtesan. She hadn't meant to give such a sour remark like that.

However, Tsukuyo didn't seem bothered by it. Instead, she just continued to smile out of sympathy. _Gintoki must have really upset her _she figured. _I need to try to get her to relax. Nothing will be resolved if she stays in such a bad mood…_

"May I join you out here?" the courtesan asked politely.

Kagura stared at her for a second. Eventually she shrugged and looked away. "I suppose…"

"Thank you," Tsukuyo replied. She then calmly walked over to where the girl lay and joined her. She took up the same position that she was in and also began looking up at the stars.

Kagura just did her best to ignore her as she became lost in thought. _Seriously, why is she even here? The last thing I want to do right now is sit here and talk to her. I honestly just wanted to be left alone…_

Kagura let out a silent sigh. _Just bare with it, Kagura…_

Tsukuyo simply remained silent for a while, hoping that the quiet would help ease some of the girl's tension. After a few minutes, she finally spoke up. "It's a lovely night out tonight," she noted.

Kagura stared up at the stars. "Mm-hmm."

Tsukuyo eyed her for a second before looking skyward again. _Still acting despondent, huh? Well, let's see if I can try to get you to open up. Maybe some light small talk will help…_

With a new goal in mind, Tsukuyo smiled to herself. She felt like she had just come up with the perfect topic to discuss. "It seems like life is progressing rather quickly for me and Gintoki. I can't believe that our wedding is now less than a week away. Can you?"

Kagura threw the courtesan a weird look. _Why is she bringing this up now? _she groaned in her thoughts.

"No," she replied bluntly.

Tsukuyo let out a small sigh before softly smiling. "Things are going to be so much more different once the two of us are married. Honestly, I'm a little worried about what to expect, but at the same time, it's actually kind of exciting."

Kagura produced another scowl as her mood began to sour. "Yeah, I guess so," she replied back.

Tsukuyo just closed her eyes as she continued. "Just think about it," she said. "I'll actually be living here on the surface with Gintoki. We'll get to spend all of our time together if we want…it will be lovely…"

Tsukuyo opened her eyes again as she gazed at the sky. "And as for you, you'll finally get this place all to yourself. I think that you'll really enjoy that…"

_What the hell? _Kagura cursed as she could feel herself growing irritated. _Is any of this actually supposed to be making me feel better? You're just restating everything that I don't want to happen! It's really starting to piss me off…_

Tsukuyo turned to look at the girl next to her. "Well, what do you think? Are you looking forward to the upcoming changes?"

"Oh yeah, I can't wait!" Kagura snapped back sarcastically. Normally, she would have tried her best to hold back such a comment, but it seemed like her true feelings of discontentment were starting to get the best of her.

Tsukuyo just looked at the girl out of confusion. She had not been expecting such a sudden outburst like that. _Has my small talk not been working? _she couldn't help but wonder to herself.

"Hey, Kagura," the courtesan began slowly, "is everything alright?"

Kagura looked at her for a second before she turned away. She then closed her eyes as she gave a sigh. "Yes, everything is fi-"

Kagura suddenly froze. Something felt weird. She could feel something twisting inside of her. All of a sudden, her attitude took an extreme jump. For some reason, she was suddenly feeling angrier than ever before.

Unbeknownst to Kagura, the _Dragon Rage_ had finally started to take its effect…

"On second thought," she began in a heated tone, "everything is _not _alright…"

Tsukuyo was delightfully surprised to hear her say this. It finally seemed like she was making some progress with the girl. "What's the matter?" she asked in a soft and caring voice.

"What's the matter?" asked Kagura as she suddenly shot up to a sitting position. "Oh, I'll tell you what's the matter. I have a problem. A _big _problem…"

Tsukuyo started to give the girl a weird look as she also sat up. "Okay, what is it?"

Kagura produced a very unpleasant frown before slowly lifting her finger up. She pointed it directly at Tsukuyo.

"You."

Tsukuyo immediately felt taken aback. "M-me?" she stuttered.

Kagura's eyes suddenly widened as far as they could. "That's right, _you're_ my problem…"

Tsukuyo was now starting to grow more and more confused. "I don't understand…what are you talking about?"

Kagura rolled her eyes before glaring back at the courtesan. "Ugh, you stupid bitch, do I have to explain everything to you?"

Upon hearing this, Tsukuyo became speechless. _Since when did she talk like this?_ she wondered, bewildered.

At this point, Kagura rose to her feet while she continued to point at Tsukuyo. Her angry expression did not change. "_You_ are my problem," she restated. "Do you want to know why? It's because you're going to ruin my life!"

Tsukuyo honestly didn't know what to say. "H-how am I-?"

"You're going to take Gin-chan away from me!" Kagura hissed. "You're going to marry him, and then force him to leave me all alone! It's all your fault!"

By this point, Tsukuyo was truly feeling dazed. She had no idea that Kagura felt this way. She didn't realize that she, and she alone, had been the sole source of Kagura's recent distress. Tsukuyo immediately started feeling guilty.

Kagura, on the other hand continued to stand over the courtesan, seething with rage. Eventually, she just dramatically swiped her arm off to the side. "Just go away!" she screamed. "Just go away and leave us all alone! We'd all be happier here without you!"

Tsukuyo looked up at the girl, feeling very hurt. _How can she say these things? I mean, is this really how she feels? Does she really want me to go away forever?_

Tsukuyo looked down for a second, trying to gather her thoughts and her confidence. Eventually, she rose to her feet before looking at the Yato girl that stood across from her. "I had no idea that you felt that way, Kagura…" she said quietly.

Kagura didn't respond. She just continued to glare at the courtesan.

Tsukuyo softly stared back at her. "I'm sorry that I'm the one that's been upsetting you this whole time, I really am. I honestly feel terrible. I would like to try and make it up to you…but I'm afraid I can't fulfill your request. I won't go away; I'm sorry…"

Kagura suddenly clenched her teeth. "You _won't_?" she demanded.

Tsukuyo closed her eyes. "No, I won't," she repeated. "As long as Gintoki still wants me to stay with him, then I will. I will not leave him as long as he still cares for me…as long as he still loves me…"

There was silence after that, in which Kagura continued to glare with wide eyes. Tsukuyo simply watched the girl carefully, anxiously awaiting her response. To Tsukuyo's surprise, Kagura's frown slowly turned into a smile. A _wicked _smile.

The girl then gave an insane laugh that made Tsukuyo cringe. "AH HA HA HA HA HA!"

Once she was done laughing, Kagura glared at Tsukuyo again, this time with a grin. "Fine then. If you won't leave, then I will just have to get rid of you myself."

"What!?" asked Tsukuyo, her eyes widening out of fear.

Kagura pointed at Tsukuyo again, still grinning. "I'm going to _kill _you."

"I…I don't believe this…" said Tsukuyo as she gave the girl a worried frown. "This isn't like you, Kagura! You're acting like a completely different person! In fact, you're acting just like your brother!"

Upon hearing this, Kagura's eyes began sparking with madness. She clenched her fists as she screamed back at the courtesan. "I'm nothing like him! Don't accuse me of being just like that idiot!"

Tsukuyo gave her a curious look. She had not expected her comment to set the girl off like that. Was this still the same Kagura that she knew, after all? The same Kagura that hated her brother? There was a chance. Tsukuyo decided to bravely speak back up.

"But it's true, isn't it?" she asked with a scowl. "You're talking about killing people, just like Kamui would."

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" Kagura roared. "I don't even want to think about him right now! All I want to do is get rid of you for good!"

Kagura then brought her arms forward and held them palms-up towards Tsukuyo. "You'd best prepare yourself, _Tsukky_. I'm coming for you now, and I'm going for the kill…"

Tsukuyo just barely realized what was about to happen before it actually did. Kagura pounced at the courtesan, her arms swiping wildly, trying to get a hit. Tsukuyo managed to jump backwards at the last second. She ended up landing on the rooftop of the next building over. She then clenched her teeth as she stared back at the girl.

"Kagura, are you really serious about this!?" she demanded. "Listen, I know you're angry, but I don't want to fight you! We can find another way to settle this!"

Kagura just gave her a glare. "No, there is no other way," she said quietly. "The only way that I'll be satisfied is if you're dead. Now, let's keep going…"

Without warning, Kagura jumped towards the courtesan again. This time, she was pulling back a clenched fist as she approached her. Tsukuyo just jumped sideways, landing on another roof across the street. Once again, Kagura appeared right beside her. Tsukuyo began sprinting from rooftop to rooftop, desperately trying to escape. Kagura just followed closely behind her.

_Shit, I can't shake her_ Tsukuyo thought as she glanced backwards. Eventually, she stopped running and turned around. Kagura swiftly landed in front of her.

"Kagura, stop this!" Tsukuyo pleaded with the girl. "I don't want to have to hurt you!"

Kagura simply grinned. "Good, that will make this so much easier."

Without another word, the Yato launched herself at Tsukuyo. She began throwing a series of punches, which Tsukuyo did her best to dodge. Eventually, Kagura accidently left an opening, and Tsukuyo decided to seize her opportunity to make a move. She leaned forward, and grabbed both of the girl's wrists.

"KAGURA, STOP!" she screamed at the girl.

Kagura paused for a second, looking confused. She then ginned before pulling her head back. She quickly brought it back forward, effectively causing it to collide with Tsukuyo's temple.

"Ouch!" Tsukuyo cried as the force knocked her away. She raised a hand up to her forehead as she opened one of her eyes. To her shock, the Yato was right on top of her once more. Without hesitating, the girl kicked the courtesan in the side. Tsukuyo flew away before roughly landing on another rooftop.

"Ugh," Tsukuyo moaned as she attempted to pick herself up. "Damn it, she's being completely serious. It looks like I can't talk her out of it either…"

Tsukuyo gave a sigh. "I guess that it can't be helped; I'm going to have to fight back." She looked up to see the Yato girl jumping from rooftop to rooftop in order to reach her again. "Forgive me, Kagura, but at this point, it's simply a matter of survival..."

Within seconds, the girl stood before her again. Tsukuyo took the opportunity to produce a kunai in each hand. Kagura just watched her carefully, anxiously waiting for the courtesan to make a move.

They stood still for a moment, both glaring at each other in silence…

Then it happened. Tsukuyo threw kunai after kunai at the girl as Kagura darted back and forth in front of her. Tsukuyo tried to follow her movements, but she was just too quick. Eventually, Kagura leaped onto the side of a tall chimney that stood behind Tsukuyo. She then pushed herself off, flying straight for the courtesan. Tsukuyo turned around just in time to get punched right in the face. A small spurt of blood flew out of her open mouth as she twisted away in pain.

Kagura managed to land on her feet a short distance away from her. She glanced at the blood on her fist before distastefully flicking it away. Tsukuyo just rubbed her own blood off of her mouth as she glanced at her.

One second later, they were going at it again. Kagura was trying to get close while Tsukuyo tried to fend her off by throwing kunai. As she approached, Kagura swiftly sidestepped the blades as they flew past her head. Once she was close enough, Kagura twisted around the final kunai before smacking Tsukuyo's face with the backside of her fist.

As Tsukuyo turned away from the force of the hit, she kept her focus on Kagura. As fast as she could, she shoved a kunai right through the girl's hand. Kagura just glanced at it for a second before using her free hand to punch Tsukuyo right in the stomach. Tsukuyo instantly coughed up more blood.

As Tsukuyo fell, she produced another kunai and lifted it up. She was aiming for the girl's foot. Kagura quickly noticed this and jumped away at the last second. Tsukuyo just ended up hitting the rooftop instead. She then slowly stood back up as she looked over to the Yato.

Kagura just ignored her. She was currently looking at the kunai that rested inside of her hand. Eventually, she glanced over to Tsukuyo. "Did you really think that this would be enough to do me in?" she asked, unamused. Without hesitating, the girl ripped the kunai free of her hand, causing a small trail of blood to fly out with it. "Here, you can have it back," she said as she threw it at Tsukuyo.

Tsukuyo, however, was actually ready for such a tactic. She had experienced it more than enough when she had fought with Kamui a few months ago. Without thinking, Tsukuyo just swiftly reached up and caught the kunai between her fingers. She then glared at Kagura. "Don't start thinking that I'm done for either."

Kagura's expression quickly flashed from surprised to annoyed. "Grr…would you just give up and die already?" she growled.

"No, I won't," Tsukuyo replied sternly. "I told you already, I'm not going to willingly leave or die or do anything like that. I simply refuse, as long as Gintoki still cares for me."

Kagura's eyes twitched out of rage. "WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "WE WERE HAPPIER WITHOUT YOU!"

Tsukuyo flinched upon hearing this. Even if she didn't truly believe what she said, it still hurt to hear Kagura say these things. She just looked down at the rooftop as she addressed the girl. "I'm sorry to hear that, Kagura. I actually thought…that we were kind of close…"

Kagura glared at Tsukuyo for a second before she threw her a look of complete disgust. "As if I would actually care about you," she muttered. "I _hate _you…"

Tsukuyo couldn't help it. A small tear fell out of her eye when she heard this. She then quietly sniffed before looking back up at the girl. "I see…very well then. If that's the way it has to be…"

Kagura raised her arms up in front of her. "Let's hurry up and finish this already…"

The two of them locked eyes for a moment, before they both jumped towards each other. Tsukuyo thrust her kunai at Kagura, but she instantly grabbed the blade with her injured hand, causing it to bleed even more. She then grasped Tsukuyo's arm before hurling the courtesan away. Tsukuyo landed roughly on yet another rooftop. She didn't even have time to recover before Kagura was right back on top of her. The Yato quickly rushed in and went to stomp on Tsukuyo, who managed to pull out a kunai at the last second. She carefully aimed it so that it connected with Kagura's descending foot, effectively sending the blade right through it as the girl brought it down.

Kagura, however, didn't even flinch as she changed maneuvers. Instead of going for a kick, she curved her leg and kneed Tsukuyo right in the face. Tsukuyo fell over backwards as Kagura landed on top of her. The Yato pinned the courtesan down with her legs before she began showering her with a barrage of consecutive punches. She hit Tsukuyo everywhere she could: her chest, her face, her arms. Before long, Tsukuyo was covered in bloody bruises.

Kagura paused for a second. "Are you dead yet?" she asked with a cold glare.

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth as she produced another kunai from the sleeve of her damaged arm. She instantly jabbed the girl in the side with it, causing a fresh stream of blood to spray out.

Kagura winced for a second, before swiftly slapping Tsukuyo across the face, hard. By this point, even that was enough to make blood fly out of Tsukuyo's mouth. The courtesan started to cough again, but Kagura was growing irritated and impatient. The Yato grabbed Tsukuyo before effortlessly tossing her into the air. She then jumped up to meet her. With a small flip followed by a powerful kick, Tsukuyo was sent flying back to earth. Once again, she was met with a rough landing on a rooftop not too far from where they had originally started fighting.

Tsukuyo coughed some more as she tried to lift her arms. _Ugh, it hurts to move _she thought with a cringe. She wasn't exactly immobilized by the pain like she had been in her fight with Kamui, but any further movement from her at this point would be agonizing to say the least.

Tsukuyo then watched as Kagura gracefully landed a few feet away from her. Apparently, the girl had already removed the two kunai from both her side and foot. All that remained now was just a couple of heavily bleeding wounds. Kagura, however, didn't really seem to mind. Her full attention was still on Tsukuyo.

The two of them glanced at each other for a second, before Kagura flashed her insane grin again. "Time to make the kill," she said maliciously.

Tsukuyo could only stare back in helplessness as the Yato girl approached her. _Shit. Is this how it ends? Are…are you really going to kill me…Kagura?_

Kagura stopped right next to the courtesan. She raised up an arm and opened her hand. She then positioned her fingers so that they strangely resembled a claw. The girl was going to pierce her with that hand…

"Any last words?" asked Kagura with a smirk.

Tsukuyo stared back at her before softly closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Kagura…"

"Too bad; I can't forgive you," said Kagura gleefully. She flashed her insane grin once more. "So long, Tsukky!"

Her arm started to move…

…For some reason, however, it instantly stopped...

"Huh?" asked Kagura, glancing over to her motionless arm. To her surprise, somebody had grabbed it, and they were steadily holding it in place. Kagura curiously turned around to see who it was.

It was Gintoki, and he was seething with a temper of his own. He glared down at the girl that stood before him, his eyes sparking with rage.

"What the hell is going on here?" he breathed.

* * *

**Oh dear. It looks like Tsukuyo is having quite the rough time. Not only does Kagura hate her and blame her for everything, but she also wants to kill her. Well, at least Gintoki is there now. Hopefully he'll be able to save her…**

**Wow…I felt like I just wrote a review for this chapter or something XD Weird, huh? I mean, it's my very own story for crying out loud! Seriously, what's wrong with me? Yeah, I'm not sure either…**

**Anyways…moving on XD I know that a lot of you said that you didn't want Kagura to attack Tsukuyo. Aw, I thought that was kind of sweet. It's like you guys are trying to look out for Tsukuyo's wellbeing :) Oh well, I wrote it anyway. I don't even feel guilty about writing it either. In fact, I **_**liked **_**writing it. I guess that makes me the bad guy XD**

**In other news, you just gotta love that **_**Know Know Know**_** song by **_**Does**_**. In fact, I listened to it quite a few times while writing this chapter. It really has that actiony feel to it. By the way, how was the action this chapter? Good? Really good? Amazing?**

**Huh? Subpar!? Oh…okay then…**

**Next chapter: Gintoki arrives and stops Kagura! (wait, didn't he already do that!?) Look forward to it! As for this chapter, let me know what you thought about it! (So review it, okay?) Thanks a million! See you next time! **


	42. Book 3 - Chapter 8

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 8

"What the hell is going on here?" asked Gintoki as he firmly held Kagura's arm in place.

The girl calmly stared back at him with a blank expression. "Let go," she said.

Gintoki glared at her for a second before glancing past her. He saw Tsukuyo laying there on the rooftop, bloodied and bruised. This image only seemed to infuriate him more as he turned his attention back to the Yato.

"I said, what the hell is going on here?" he repeated, this time a little a louder.

Kagura's eyebrows began to fold inward, making her look displeased. "I said let go," she replied.

Gintoki clenched his teeth as he stared at her. "Kagura, answer me. Is this situation really what it looks like?"

Kagura just ignored him as she gave a frown. She was starting to grow impatient. "Would you just let go already so I can finish her off?" she demanded angrily.

Gintoki silently gulped as he continued glaring at her. _I don't believe this; she really is attacking Tsukuyo…_

Gintoki suddenly paused as he felt Kagura trying to pull her arm free of his grip. He instinctively tightened it before throwing the girl behind him. "Get back!" he shouted.

Kagura crouched down as she skidded to a halt. She then looked up with a frown.

Gintoki stared back at her as he stood in front of Tsukuyo. He would have to make sure that Kagura stayed at a distance until he had some answers.

Tsukuyo, suddenly noticing his presence, looked up at him. "Gintoki…?"

"Tsukuyo," Gintoki whispered as he glanced back at her. "Are you okay? What the hell happened?"

Tsukuyo coughed a little bit before she gave him an answer. "It's Kagura, there's something wrong with her…I think she might have gone crazy…"

Gintoki gave her a weird look before facing towards Kagura again. _What is she talking about? This situation doesn't make any sense. How could Kagura possibly attack her?_

Meanwhile, Kagura stood up with a devious smile on her face. She then slowly walked up to Gintoki before stopping in front of him. "Move aside," she said.

"What?" asked Gintoki, starting to grow angry again.

"Move aside so I can kill her," she requested.

"Are you out of your mind?" asked Gintoki. "Answer me! What the hell is going on here!? Why are you attacking Tsukuyo right now!?"

"Do I really have to explain this?" asked Kagura impatiently. "I can't wait much longer! I have to kill her!"

Gintoki clenched his fists. "_Answer me_," he repeated.

Kagura gave him an annoyed look. "Fine, I'll tell you. I want to kill Tsukky because she's going to ruin my life. She's going to force you to marry her, and then she'll take you away from me. After that, I'll be left all alone. It's going to be absolutely _dreadful_. So now, I'm just trying to prevent that by getting rid of her for good…"

Kagura paused for a moment in order to let her words sink in. She then pointed at Tsukuyo, who sat behind Gintoki. "Now move aside, so I can finish her off…"

Gintoki remained silent at first. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then, without warning, he swiftly slapped Kagura across the face. She turned her head away in pain.

"Stop acting like a lunatic and pull yourself together!" Gintoki shouted at her. "Do you even hear what you're saying right now? Do you even realize what you're doing? Are you seriously about to kill Tsukuyo over something stupid like that? Honestly, what the hell are you thinking!?"

Kagura slowly looked back towards Gintoki with a resentful frown on her face. "My only problem is Tsukky. I won't stop until she is dead."

Gintoki couldn't believe what he was hearing. For some reason, it seemed like Kagura was undeniably hell-bent on taking Tsukuyo's life. "You'll have to go through me first," Gintoki warned her.

"I don't want to fight you, Gin-chan. Move."

"No."

"Move."

"_No_."

"MOVE!"

"NO!"

"Grr…enough of this!" Kagura shouted as he clenched her fists. Without warning, the girl jumped forward, trying to slip around the samurai that blocked her path.

Gintoki, however, was very alert and ready for an attack. Without hesitating, he quickly drew his wooden sword before hitting Kagura in the side with it. The girl was instantly knocked away onto another rooftop with a loud crash. A small cloud of dust rose up from were she had landed.

As Gintoki stared at her, he firmly grasped his sword with both hands. He then glanced over to Tsukuyo. "You were right," he told her quietly. "I don't know why, but it looks like Kagura has gone completely insane."

"Do you think it could have something to do with her Yato blood?" mumbled Tsukuyo as she looked up at him.

"Not sure…" Gintoki replied, eyeing Tsukuyo carefully. "Can you move?"

She tried to, only to end up wincing in pain. "Er, not really…"

Gintoki gave a sad sigh. "That's fine. Just stay right there then. I will protect you."

"O-okay," said Tsukuyo with a small nod.

Meanwhile, Kagura was picking herself up from amongst the scattered rooftop tiles. She looked down at the wounds that Tsukuyo had given her, which were now bleeding rather excessively. Kagura didn't seem to care, however. Instead, she just grinned before launching herself back over to Gintoki. She gently landed right in front of him.

Gintoki immediately held up his sword in defense. "Kagura, calm down and listen to me. You're not going to get past me. You're not going to kill Tsukuyo. You need to stop now before you end up doing something that you'll regret."

Kagura simply grinned as she tuned out his words. She was way past the bargaining stage at this point. "I want to kill Tsukky," she said, loud and clear. "And if I have to go through you first to do it, then that's exactly what I'll do."

Tsukuyo desperately looked up at the girl. "Kagura, surely you wouldn't-!?"

Kagura pointed a finger at Gintoki. "I'll just have to kill you, Gin-chan."

Gintoki's eyes narrowed when the girl said his name. He could immediately tell that it no longer held the caring warmth that it usually did. "Gin-chan" was just a title now. Nothing more. Kagura really was too far gone...

Gintoki gave the girl a glare as he pointed his sword at her. "If that's the case, then go ahead and do it."

Kagura's grin quickly turned into an excited smile. She then crouched down for a second. "Oh, _I will_," she said threateningly.

Gintoki barely had a moment's notice before the girl was already flying at him, trying to claw him open with her hands. He swiftly evaded her movements before knocking her aside with his sword. She quickly recovered and came at him once more. This time she went to kick the samurai in the side, and he went to slam his sword into her stomach. Both hits landed simultaneously, and the force sent the two fighters flying in opposite directions. By the time they had finally come to a stop, they were both laying facedown on opposite ends of the same roof.

Gintoki and Kagura both lay motionless there for a second before slowly rising to their feet. They then looked at each other, and locked eyes. Kagura's wide eyes and insane grin matched Gintoki's stern glare and serious frown. Without warning, the two of them began running towards each other at full speed. They were rapidly drawing towards each other. Kagura drew back her fist; Gintoki drew back his sword.

One second later, they met in the middle, their eyes still locked on one another. Kagura's fist connected with Gintoki's sword in a huge collision…

* * *

Shinpachi crouched down and held his side as he began panting. After taking a few deep breaths, he looked up to find an unbelievable sight. Gintoki and Kagura were fighting each other…

_What? _He wondered as he looked up. _What the hell is going on? Why are those two fighting each other!?_

Shinpachi hopelessly stared up at them from the street below. He then did his best to try and make some sense out of this situation..

It had all started when Gintoki and Shinpachi had been silently waiting for Tsukuyo and Kagura to come down from the roof. They had tried to be patient, but they didn't end up waiting that long before they decided to go up and check on the two girls. However, to their surprise, nobody was to be found on the roof of the Odd Jobs building. They had stood around for a little bit, wondering where they might have disappeared to when they eventually heard a lot of noise in the distance. It had sounded like someone was fighting, and there was even some yelling mixed in. Gintoki immediately became worried and began hopping from rooftop to rooftop towards the source. Shinpachi, on the other hand, had made his way back down to the street before pursuing the samurai on foot.

And now, after all that, Shinpachi had finally ended up in his current position. Still panting, he looked up at his two friends, completely confused. _I don't understand…why is Gin-san attacking Kagura-chan? Unless…_

Shinpachi suddenly caught a glimpse of Kagura, and it forced him to give a gasp out of fright.

_Unless it's the other way around!_

Kagura's eyes were wide and insane-looking. Her smile was nothing short of malicious. Yes, Shinpachi had definitely seen something like this before...

_I remember _he realized. _It's just like that time back when we were in Yoshiwara…when you lost control of yourself in that fight and went completely insane…yes, it's just like back then…_

Feeling worried for his friend, Shinpachi gave a silent gulp.

_What happened to you, Kagura-chan…?_

* * *

Gintoki clenched his teeth as he went to swing his sword once more. Kagura's incoming fist instantly connected with it, sending another small shockwave away from them. This continued for a while, with the two of them matching each other blow for blow. However, as the fight dragged on, Gintoki and Kagura started to put more speed and less power behind their attacks. They were soon swinging and punching wildly.

Eventually, Gintoki found an opening. Using his quick reflexes, he slammed his sword into the girl's side. Blood immediately flew out of the wound that Tsukuyo had inflicted earlier. Kagura barely winced before she reached out and grabbed Gintoki by the shirt. She then pulled him in close as she kneed him in the stomach.

Gintoki coughed a little bit before he recovered. As he looked up, he noticed that Kagura had vanished from sight. He worriedly started to wonder where she might have run off to when he suddenly caught a glimpse of her.

As it turns out, Kagura was rapidly jumping and sprinting around the samurai. She was actually moving so fast that she was almost impossible to see. However, her fast footwork ended up leaving behind quite a bit of noise, which Gintoki quickly picked up on.

_Focus _he told himself. _Find out where she is…_

As Gintoki narrowed his eyesight, he caught another glimpse of the girl sprinting in front of him. She simply glared at him with a frown before disappearing again.

Gintoki silently raised his sword over his head. He then waited for a second before his eyes shot open wide.

_There!_

Gintoki swung his sword vertically and caught Kagura in mid-jump. In response, she quickly planted her feet on the rooftop before holding up an arm in defense. By doing this, she managed to effectively block the attack.

They then locked eyes again, for the briefest of moments…

Gintoki retracted his sword and charged towards the girl. She began running too, right alongside him. As they sprinted, they threw a flurry of blows at each other. Kagura began receiving small cuts along her body, while Gintoki was beginning to feel the ache of blows that just barely missed his vital areas.

"Grr, enough of this!" Kagura shouted as another tiny cut opened on her shoulder. Without warning, Kagura dived down towards the samurai's feet.

Taken by surprise, Gintoki tried to stop himself, but it was too late. He ended up tripping right over Kagura's body. He roughly fell facedown on the rooftop.

Kagura mischievously grinned to herself. "Ha, it worked!" she shouted as she grabbed ahold of Gintoki's ankle. As she rose to her feet, the samurai's leg came with her. Using her full strength, she then lifted Gintoki over her head before slamming him into the rooftop behind her.

"AH!" Gintoki coughed. Using his free leg, he kicked the Yato girl right in the jaw. She instantly let him go. He fumbled around for a second before quickly getting back to his feet.

Gintoki then took a step forward as he swung his sword horizontally. Kagura noticed this and she jumped over the attack. She then swung her leg around and kicked the samurai across the face. Quickly recovering, Gintoki used his free hand to give the falling girl an uppercut. The punch hit her right in the cheek. As soon as she landed, Kagura retreated by jumping back a few steps.

After that, Gintoki and Kagura began heavily panting as they glared at each other.

"Are you done yet?" Gintoki asked her between breaths. "Have I finally managed to beat some sense into you?"

Kagura slowly inhaled. "No," she breathed.

Gintoki gave her a disapproving look. "So you're still going to go through with this? You're still going to attack Tsukuyo?"

Kagura gave him her most serious glare yet. "I already told you; I will not rest until she is dead."

Gintoki clenched his teeth. "You really are insane…"

"I'm not insane," Kagura replied adamantly. "This makes perfect sense to me! I'm just trying to get what I want. And getting rid of Tsukky is what I've wanted for weeks now…"

Kagura then paused before clenching her fists. She then spoke to him in a whisper. "I _will_ have what I want…"

Kagura flew at him once more, fist raised. Gintoki positioned his sword defensively as he absorbed the blow. He then retracted the wooden blade slightly as Kagura landed on the rooftop. Taking careful aim, he thrust his sword right through the girl's wounded foot. This caused the gash to open up even more, sending blood flying.

Kagura attempted to jump back, but it was no use. The sword had her foot pinned down. Realizing her position, the girl changed tactics and leaned in towards Gintoki. She then slapped him out of frustration.

Gintoki quickly turned back to face her. He grabbed her by the chin and roughly squeezed her. She opened her mouth and bit his hand. He instantly let go. He kicked her in the side. She punched him in the stomach.

Gintoki decided to withdraw his blade from the girl's foot. He immediately swung it around and hit the Yato across her face. Growing frustrated again, she went to tackle the samurai. Gintoki fell over backwards while Kagura landed on top of him. Clenching her fist, she raised it up. Gintoki quickly thrust his sword at her face. It hit her right in the middle of her forehead. Kagura paused as her vision went blurry for a second.

Seizing his opportunity, Gintoki threw the girl off of him. He jumped to his feet before drawing his sword back again. He then slammed it against the back of the girl's head.

"Rgh!" Kagura grunted in pain. She shot back up and twisted around to kick Gintoki. He jumped back, just barely dodging it. Kagura then raised up a fist as she charged him. Gintoki brought his sword back, putting all of his strength into it as he swung it back forward.

Once again, Gintoki's and Kagura's attacks met with a huge collision. The intense force of the blows could be felt flying away from them. Amidst the noise, Gintoki could hear his sword starting to creak under the pressure. It would not last long.

Using what little strength he had remaining, Gintoki pushed his sword against the girl's fist. Kagura tried to fight back, but she could not halt his advancement. She was growing tired and bleeding heavily. Her head was also starting to get a little dizzy from being hit so many times. She was almost at her limit. In fact, the drug inside of her was the only thing keeping her going at this point.

"RAAAH!" Gintoki roared as he finished his swing. It hit Kagura full force and sent her flying away. She roughly landed on another rooftop and tumbled around for a second before coming to a complete stop. She then motionlessly lay there, all spread out.

After a few seconds, she pushed herself up with a groan. "Ugh, this really hurts. I need to hurry up and finish them both off…"

With a determined glare, the girl rose to her feet. Gintoki noticed this and raised his sword up in front of him again. There was currently a lot of distance between them, but he knew that it would not take long for Kagura to close it if she wanted to.

_She's got to be at her limit _he thought to himself. _I just need to land a finishing blow…_

Kagura glared at Gintoki. He glared back. Their eyes locked for a second. This only seemed to infuriate Kagura, who clenched her fists as tight as she could. Blood immediately flew out of the one that was severely wounded. Needless to say, she didn't care. She was completely focused on her target.

"RAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Screaming as loud as she could, Kagura took off at a run towards the samurai. With each step she took, she picked up the pace a little bit. Before long, she was running at a furious speed.

Gintoki carefully watched her as he raised his sword over his head. He firmly grasped it with both hands.

Once she was close enough, Kagura launched herself forward off of the roof. She was now rocketing towards the samurai through the air. She opened her arms up and stretched her fingers out. She was ready to claw him open…

Gintoki continued watching her as what little distance left between them rapidly began to close. He tightened his hold on the sword…

Less than a second later, Gintoki brought his sword down as hard as he could. It collided with the incoming Yato, hitting her right on the top of her skull. The wooden sword immediately snapped in two from the force of the impact. Kagura was knocked down onto the rooftop, her momentum completely gone. She didn't even utter a sound before her fatigue won her over and she lost consciousness.

Gintoki began panting heavily as the remains of his shattered sword fell around him. He cautiously looked down at the girl before him. He then breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally knocked out.

"Serves you right, you shitty brat," he muttered between breaths. "I mean, honestly, what the hell were you thinking? You were completely out of control…"

Gintoki then paused before shaking his head. There was no point in lecturing this lunatic now; there would be time for that later. What he should be doing instead…

"Tsukuyo!" Gintoki remembered, looking behind him. The fight had ended up carrying the two of them away from her. Without a second thought, Gintoki began backtracking until he arrived at the spot where she had been left behind.

To his surprise, he found Shinpachi crouching down next to her. The boy immediately noticed the samurai's presence. "Ah, Gin-san!" he sad looking up.

Gintoki quickly rushed over to him. "How is Tsukuyo? Is she alright?"

Shinpachi looked back down at the courtesan with a look of doubt. "I don't know; she lost consciousness…"

"She's covered in bruises," said Gintoki, looking her over. "We need to get her treated as soon as possible."

"Gin-san, what even happened here?" asked Shinpachi, looking extremely lost. "It looked like you were fighting with Kagura-chan earlier, and then later I found Tsukuyo up here, completely unconscious…"

"I'll explain later," Gintoki told him. "Right now, we need to focus on getting Tsukuyo some help."

"Er," began the boy quietly, "and what about Kagura-chan…?"

Gintoki glanced back at the rooftop where he had left her. "I'll figure something out," he said, looking back at Shinpachi. "I think I might have an idea of what to do with her. Nevertheless, we should take care of Tsukuyo first."

Shinpachi stared at him for a second, before giving a small nod. "Alright, fine" he agreed. "Just promise that you will explain this crazy situation to me later…"

Gintoki gave a silent nod as he looked back to Kagura's motionless body. _To be honest, I'm not even sure that I really understand this situation myself…I mean, did Kagura really go insane? Is the answer really that simple?_

_Hmm…I don't get it. I thought that Tsukuyo and Kagura had always gotten along pretty well with each other…They never really did anything to get on each other's nerves…In fact, I always thought that they really liked each other. But then, if that's the case…_

_What could have possibly happened between them to make Kagura so eager to kill Tsukuyo?_

* * *

**Well, that was the chapter. Uh…I'm not really sure what to say here…Poor Kagura, I guess? Or maybe it's poor Tsukuyo…Hmm, probably both XD**

**Anyways, let's just change the topic! (Because why not?) So I recently started playing the game Fire Emblem Fates. It's really really **_**really**_** good. I love it so far. I've played Fire Emblem Awakening and Sacred Stones prior to this, and yeah, I gotta say that Fates is definitely living up to my expectations. I would certainly recommend buying it and giving it a try. Well, if you have an **_**opportunity**_** to buy it, that is…I've heard that this game is selling out like crazy. So yeah, good luck I guess XD**

**Fire Emblem aside, I think that's about all I have to say for now. As for what to expect in the next chapter: uh…you'll just have to wait and see what happens! That's right, no preview this time! (Please don't hate me XD) As always, feel free to leave a review and look forward to the next chapter! See you then!**


	43. Book 3 - Chapter 9

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 9

Takasugi was still sitting in the helm of his ship, patiently waiting for news on his targets. The rest of the Kiheitai had spent the entire day doing the same. At that moment, a messenger suddenly rushed into the meeting room. Everyone's head immediately perked up to look at the young man.

"Takechi-san, Takasugi-san! We finally have an update on the target!"

Kamui lazily rested his head on his hand as he rolled his eyes. "It's about time," he mumbled.

Takasugi just ignored him. "Let's hear it," he told the messenger.

"Yes sir. Apparently, the Dragon Rage took effect about an hour ago. Our scouts reported that the Yato girl went completely insane when it happened. She immediately attacked the woman next to her, the Shiroyasha's bride!"

Upon hearing this, Takasugi's single eye lit up with excitement. "Gintoki's bride?" he repeated. "What happened next?"

"The two of them fought it out, but the Yato girl eventually came out on top. The bride suffered some serious injuries, but she's still alive. After that, the Shiroyasha himself showed up and fought with the girl. After clashing for a few minutes, he knocked the girl out. Our scouts then reported that the Shiroyasha was planning on taking his bride to a hospital before they withdrew."

Upon finishing, the room went silent. Takasugi then gave a small chuckle. "Excellent," he said. "This is just perfect."

His subordinates looked over to him. "Did we get what we needed to continue with the plan, Shinsuke-sama?" asked Matako.

"Yes, we did," he said with a smile. "We needed Kagura to attack somebody close to Gintoki and his bride is an absolutely perfect choice. I couldn't have asked for somebody better."

Takasugi's eye then widened with an insane excitement. _How does it feel, Gintoki? How does it feel to watch someone close to you suffer? How does it feel to know that it was somebody else that's close to you who did it? Does it hurt? Does it fill you with hatred?_

_Well, I hope you're not too angry, because I'm not done with you yet. Give me a little more time. By the time I'm done with you, I'll have you screaming straight from the soul…_

"We have just what we needed to continue with the plan," Takasugi suddenly announced. "Now, we are just going to have to wait again. Once things have started to settle, that's when we'll move out to strike."

"Ugh, more waiting," muttered Kamui.

* * *

The next day, Tsukuyo suddenly awoke with a start. She immediately tried to sit up, but winced as she did so. "Ow…" she mumbled, looking down at herself. She was laying in a hospital bed, covered in bandages. She slowly turned to her right to see sunlight pouring in through a window. She stared outside for a moment before turning to the left. There sat Gintoki, watching her.

"Hey," he said with a soft smile.

"Gintoki?" she said, feeling a little dazed. "Am I…am I in the hospital?"

"I'm afraid so," he said with a sigh.

"How did I get here?"

"Shinpachi and I brought you here after you lost consciousness last night," Gintoki explained. "You were in pretty bad shape, after all."

All of a sudden, memories from the previous night began flooding into Tsukuyo's mind. She just now remembered the reason for why she was currently injured.

"Kagura…" she whispered.

Upon hearing the girl's name, Gintoki's expression soured. He looked down to the floor with a frown, and didn't say a word.

Tsukuyo just stared at him. "Where is she?" she asked quietly.

Gintoki looked up at her for a second before answering. "She's been..._detained_ for now."

Tsukuyo looked confused. "Huh?"

Gintoki just shook his head. "I found a place to keep her for the time being. I'll explain more later…"

Tsukuyo continued staring at him for a moment before leaning back and resting her head on her pillow. "Hmm," she mumbled.

Gintoki simply watched her. "How do you feel?"

"Sore," she replied.

After that, silence fell between them for a few seconds. It wasn't long before Tsukuyo decided to speak up again. "Gintoki?" she began.

"Yeah?"

"Um, about Kagura, do you think…"

Tsukuyo paused with a frown. She was actually afraid to say what was on her mind. Gintoki noticed this and gently encouraged her. "Go on," he said.

Tsukuyo gulped. "Do…do you think that this whole mess is my fault, since I'm the one that made Kagura so upset?" She looked over to the samurai, waiting for a response.

To her surprise, Gintoki suddenly looked angry. "Of course not!" he said adamantly. "How can you blame what happened on yourself?"

Tsukuyo looked away. "Well…Kagura said that she's had a problem with me for a long time now, and that if it weren't for me-"

"No, that's enough," said Gintoki, cutting her off. "I don't care what her reasons were; Kagura was way out of line. She had no reason to attack you like that. Honestly, she was acting like a complete lunatic."

Tsukuyo silently nodded before she began thinking about something else that had been on her mind since the night before. "You know, the way that Kagura looked back then, and the way that she was acting…it honestly reminded me of Kamui…"

Gintoki's eyes widened upon hearing this. He slowly put a hand up to his face and sighed. "I know what you mean," he mumbled. "I can see the resemblance perfectly…"

He then went silent for a second before he started cursing. "Damn it! Are all of the Yato like this!? Do they just turn into insane killers out of the blue!?"

Tsukuyo just looked up at him in silence. She didn't know what to say.

After a few seconds, Gintoki's rage subsided and he regained his calm demeanor. The couple then sat there quietly in the hospital room without either one speaking. This situation had left them with a lot of questions that didn't really make any sense. It was complicated, to say the least.

Eventually, Tsukuyo decided to speak up again. "Gintoki, I'm worried about her," she said quietly. "I honestly think that something might be wrong with her. Who knows, maybe you're right. Maybe this viciousness was just a natural thing for her…"

Gintoki just glanced at Tsukuyo out of the corner of his eye. "It still doesn't change the fact that she attacked you though."

"I know," said Tsukuyo. "I'm not trying to make excuses for her, but…I don't know...I just feel bad…"

"Don't," Gintoki told her. "This isn't your fault, remember?"

"I know," she repeated. "I'm just worried about her, is all…"

Gintoki silently looked away with a sad frown. _Me too _he thought…

* * *

Meanwhile, Kagura slowly opened her eyes as she lifted her head. She mumbled something uncomprehensive as she began to stir. She blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room she was in. It wasn't long before she noticed something strange and looked down at herself. She was instantly surprised.

For some reason, Kagura's entire body was currently strapped down to a wall. Her arms and legs were confined inside of four large metal spheres, which were also attached to the wall. Kagura instinctively tried to move her arms. She couldn't.

"Hey, she's awake," she heard somebody in front of her say.

Kagura immediately looked up only to find the tip of a sword being shoved in front of her face. Her eyes widened in fear for a moment, afraid of an incoming attack, but the sword remained still. Upon looking past the sword, Kagura spotted five figures standing across from her in the small room. She immediately recognized all of them.

Shinpachi and Otae stood a little off to the side, warily eyeing the girl as if she were about to do something crazy. On the other side of the room, standing in the corner with his arms crossed was the sadist himself, Sogo. And finally, directly in front of her stood Kondo and Hijikata, the two leaders of the Shinsengumi police force.

Hijikata gave a scowl as he stared at the girl. He was the one who was currently pointing his sword at her. "Don't move," he ordered her.

Kagura simply stared at him, her fear slowly dissolving. "Where am I?" she asked quietly.

The room went silent after that, with everybody's eyes on Kagura. Nobody answered her question. Kagura just continued staring at each of them in turn, still awaiting a response.

"Where am I?" she repeated. "What's going on?"

There was more silence for a moment after that, before Kondo eventually gave a sigh and looked at her. "Are you able to move?" he asked.

Kagura looked confused at first but attempted to move her arms once more. Nothing budged. "No," she said bluntly.

"Toshi, put that thing away," Kondo commanded his vice chief. "There's no need to threaten her with it if she can't move."

Hijikata glanced at his superior for a second before doing as he was told. He silently sheathed his sword.

Once that was done, Kondo turned back towards the girl. "You're inside of Shinsengumi headquarters," he finally explained. "We've locked you up here at your boss's request."

Kagura immediately looked confused again. "Huh? Gin-chan told you to lock me up here?"

Kondo slowly nodded his head. "That's right. He brought you here just last night and told us to imprison you as securely as we can so that you can't escape."

Kagura stared at him, trying to make sense out of his words. "But…why?" she asked.

This time, Kondo gave her a confused look. "You mean you don't know?"

Kagura raised an eyebrow at this. "What are you talking about?" she asked as she looked around the room. Her eyes quickly landed on Shinpachi. "Shinpachi, what's going on?"

Shinpachi just frowned as he took a small step forward. "Kagura-chan," he whispered, "don't you remember what happened last night?"

Kagura looked away for a second. "Last night…"

All of a sudden, it came back to her. The effects of the Dragon Rage may have expired, but the memories from that experience remained behind, stronger than ever…

"Ah, Tsukky!" she cried. "She was hurt really bad! And I…"

Kagura paused as her mouth fell open.

_And I was the one who did that to her…_

Kagura was speechless. She didn't know what to say. She remembered it very clearly now: that feeling she had had the night before. The insane desire to kill Tsukuyo and get rid of her for good. She had wanted that so badly…

Kagura immediately clenched her teeth. _What was I thinking? How could I…how could I do something like that!?_

Meanwhile, the rest of the room was watching the girl with their full attention. Kondo suddenly decided to speak up. "So, you do remember, then?" he asked curiously.

Hijikata quickly chimed in. "Did you actually attack that woman from Yoshiwara?"

Kagura looked down. She felt like she was about to cry. "Y-yes…"

Otae's hand immediately flew up to cover her mouth. "Kagura-chan, you wouldn't…"

"I…I did," she said, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

Shinpachi looked as confused as ever. "But why, Kagura-chan? Why would you attack Tsukuyo-san like that?"

Kagura paused as she gave a quiet sniff. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "I was just so angry with her…I feel like I just completely lost control…"

Kagura slowly looked up and found Sogo staring at her. He was just watching the scene from his corner, not saying a word. Kagura decided to ignore him and turned back to the others. "Look, you guys know that I would never attack Tsukuyo like that! I would never want to hurt her!"

"But you did," said Hijikata coldly. "You apparently attacked her for no reason at all."

Kagura clenched her teeth again. "I…I know I did," she admitted. "But this doesn't make any sense…I don't know what came over me…"

"Stop making excuses for yourself!" Hijikata suddenly shouted at her.

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Kondo yelled. "Leave her alone, Toshi. I know this whole thing is confusing, but it's clearly upsetting her, so let's just leave it alone for now, okay?"

Hijikata just crossed his arms as he turned away. "Fine," he grunted.

Kondo then turned back towards the girl. "Listen up," he said. "Your boss said that he'd be coming by here later. I think he wants to talk with you."

Kagura looked down again as she gulped. _Oh no…not Gin-chan…he's going to be pissed with me…_

Kondo noticed her gloomy expression but decided to continue anyways. "Until then, we're going to stay in here and keep an eye on you. Do you understand?"

Kagura gave a single nod.

"Good," said Kondo. "We're going to let your boss deal with you once he gets here, so until then we'll just try and give you some peace."

"Okay," she mumbled.

After that, Kagura looked over to Shinpachi and caught his eye. The two of them stared at each other for a second before Shinpachi turned away. Kagura just frowned as she squeezed her eyes shut. If she could, she would have kicked herself.

_Damn it, Kagura _she thought to herself. _I think you've really messed up this time…_

* * *

"This is ridiculous!"

"Hey, leave her alone!"

"You can't keep doing this to your body!"

"This isn't her fault, you old hag!"

Tsukuyo sighed as she listened. At that moment, an older nurse was attempting to lecture the courtesan about keeping her body in good shape, but Gintoki just wouldn't have it. He was already trying to defend her by consistently yelling back at the nurse. By this point, Tsukuyo didn't really want to butt in to this argument, so she just kept quiet.

"Listen you!" the nurse suddenly barked at Gintoki. "These records state that this is the second time that this woman has been hospitalized in the last few months due to serious injuries!"

Gintoki just groaned. "Ugh, I've already told you this! It's not her fault that she's injured! Do you think that she did this to herself!?"

"I don't know what she's been doing, but whatever it is, it needs to stop! This isn't healthy for her body!"

"She was attacked both times! She didn't even have a choice in the matter!"

"If that's the case, then she needs to stop putting herself in situations where she'll be attacked!"

"I'm about to attack you, you shitty old bat-"

"Gintoki, that's enough," said Tsukuyo sternly. "The nurse is right. I should be more careful from now on. I'm sorry."

The nurse just crossed her arms as she stared down at Tsukuyo. "Hmph, at least someone listens to me."

Gintoki looked like he was about to start shouting again, but Tsukuyo cut him off. "I appreciate the concern, mam. I'll try to make sure that I won't end up in here anymore."

The nurse just gave her the smallest of smiles. "I'm glad to hear it."

Tsukuyo returned the smile. Gintoki threw the nurse a glare.

"Well, I'll come back later to check up on you then," the nurse said as she turned around. "Try not to rile her up too much while I'm gone," she told Gintoki as she returned his glare.

Gintoki just clenched his teeth as he looked away. He waited until the nurse was gone before he began cursing up a storm.

"That damn shitty old bitch," he muttered as he turned to Tsukuyo. "Can you believe her!?"

Tsukuyo just shrugged. "She was only looking out for me."

"No, she was scolding you for something that wasn't even your fault! How could you possibly agree with her!?"

"Well, I didn't really," said Tsukuyo as she leaned back and closed her eyes. "I kind of just told her what she wanted to hear."

Gintoki paused for a second as his face slowly lit up. "Oh, I see! You were actually just trying to get her to shut up!"

"I was trying to get you both to shut up."

Gintoki's smile faded. "Hmph, very funny…"

Tsukuyo giggled a little bit, charmed by her own remark. She then winced a little as she sat back up. It hurt to move with all of these injuries.

"Gintoki," she said seriously, "what are we going to do about the wedding?"

Gintoki looked somewhat surprised to hear that question. He silently looked at the bandages that covered Tsukuyo's body. "I don't know…we might have to postpone it given the circumstances…"

"Hmm," said Tsukuyo flatly. "I thought you might say that…"

Gintoki just gave her a small smile. "Aw, don't be so bummed. You're not in a rush to get married, are you?"

"No," she replied honestly. "I was just…I don't know…kind of looking forward to it…"

Gintoki smirked. "Well, don't worry. I promise I'll marry you later."

"Later?"

"Yeah, eventually…"

"Hey, don't just push me aside, Gintoki!" Tsukuyo shouted playfully.

Gintoki gave her a grin. "Never," he whispered.

Before they knew it, they were both sharing a soft kiss with each other. They then stared into each other's eyes.

"We can discuss all of that later," Gintoki told her. "For now, I think I should probably go check up on Kagura. I told Shinpachi and the others that I would do that sometime today." Gintoki paused for a moment as he rose to his feet. "Will you be alright if I leave you here by yourself?"

Tsukuyo gave him a confident smile. "I'll be fine," she replied. "Go ahead and check in on Kagura, and see what you can do about her."

"I will," he promised. "Hopefully she's calmed down a little bit since last night. I definitely need to ask her some serious questions."

"Keep your guard up," Tsukuyo advised.

Gintoki just nodded as he turned to leave. "Right, see you later."

Tsukuyo gave a small wave as he left the room. "See ya." She then let her hand drop down to her side as thoughts of the Yato girl flooded her mind once more.

_I hope they'll be alright…_

* * *

**Hey guys! So…it's been like almost 12 weeks since I last updated this story…yikes XD But you know what? It's okay! You know why? Because I know that you guys will all forgive me! Heheh, right?**

…

**Er…anyways…**

**Yeah, I really am sorry this took so long! I think I developed writer's absence, where the writer just feels like doing other things than writing. For example, reading! I did a whole lot of reading in my spare time. I caught up to Vagabond, Seven Deadly Sins, and I'm even rereading One Piece! Man, I love One Piece…**

**But enough about that! Here's another chapter of Silver Moon! I finally got around to it, and I'm pretty damn happy that I did XD But yeah, please excuse my hiatus. Before I stopped writing, I had just finished writing a monster of a crossover and I think it took a lot out of me. If you're curious, it was a Crossover Special between Gintama and Hunter x Hunter! I think it turned out pretty good! If you like HxH, I suggest you go give it a read. It's on my profile. And if you don't like HxH…what are you doing with your life!? Go give that amazing series a try right now!**

**Anyways, that's enough out of a guy who is hardly ever around XD Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and look forward to the next one! I bet it will only take 11 weeks this time! No promises! :)**


	44. Book 3 - Chapter 10

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 10

After waiting patiently throughout most of the day, the Kiheitai was starting to get a little fidgety. Or at least, one person in particular was.

"Ugh, waiting around is so _boring_," complained Kamui with a moan. He currently had his chin resting on the table in front of him with his arms down at his sides. He honestly looked like he was bored out of his skull.

Takasugi just glanced at him for a second before closing his eye. "Have some patience, Kamui. You'll get to see some excitement eventually."

"Yeah, but when?" whined the boy. "Even Abuto and the others were allowed to go out and do something!"

"That wasn't even that exciting, you know," Abuto muttered from beside him.

Takasugi just slowly opened his eye as he stared at the Yato. "Don't tell me that you're already protesting the plan this early on. Didn't you agree to go along with everything that I told you this time around?"

"Yes," admitted Kamui. "But it still doesn't change the fact that this plan is incredibly dull."

"Oh, be quiet!" Matako shouted at him from across the table. "Just because you can't understand the complexity of Shinsuke-sama's plan doesn't mean that you have to criticize it!"

"He hasn't even told us what the plan is yet," mumbled Kamui in a displeased tone.

"Alright, relax, you two," said Takasugi from the head of the table. "At this moment, I'm only telling you what you need to know. You'll know the whole plan soon enough as long as things continue to go right. And I know you're bored, but rest assured, we'll be making our next move soon enough."

Kamui just looked away. "Fine…"

Takasugi eyed him for a second before smiling and lifting his kiseru to his mouth. He softly inhaled and exhaled while he attempted to gather his thoughts. Just then, a cell phone that sat in front of him lit up, indicating that he had received a message. He slowly picked up the device. As he read the message, Takasugi's smile slowly transformed into a malicious grin. He lowered his pipe away from his mouth as he stood up. He then pocketed the cell phone.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave for the time being," he declared. "I'm going to pay someone a visit."

His followers glanced up at him with confused looks. "You're going to visit someone?" asked Takechi.

"That's right," Takasugi replied as he turned away. "Bansai, make sure that the ship is ready to fly in a few hours. You can expect a call from me asking to be picked up."

Bansai stared at his leader with a blank face as he continued to strum the instrument in his hands. "Will do," he replied simply.

"Good man," said Takasugi, exiting the room…

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Shinsengumi headquarters, Yamazaki was making his way to the front gate. Somebody was currently hammering loudly on the other side of it, waiting to be answered. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he cried.

As Yamazaki opened the door, he was somewhat surprised to find Gintoki standing there. "Ah, g-good morning," he stuttered.

Gintoki just blankly stared at the man. "I'm here for Kagura," he said bluntly.

"Oh, yes, of course," Yamazaki replied. "Come on in. I'll take you to her right away."

"Thanks," muttered Gintoki.

Yamazaki nervously glanced at the samurai as he led him inside. _S-sheesh, why is this guy acting so serious?_

At that moment, Gintoki looked straight at Yamazaki, causing the officer to flinch for a second before facing forward again. _S-scary!_

After that, the two of them walked over to a nearby building and entered it. They then walked down a short hall before arriving at their final destination. Gintoki simply opened the door and let himself in.

Upon entering, all eyes in the room fell on him. The Shinsengumi officers gave him blank stares while Shinpachi and Otae threw him worried looks. Kagura just barely lifted her head up from the wall to stare at him out of dread. Nobody said a word.

After taking a quick glance around the room, Gintoki decided to speak up. "I'd like to speak to Kagura alone," he said in a commanding tone.

Everyone continued to stare at the samurai for a second. Kondo then cleared his throat. "Of course, we'll clear out," he said quietly. With a single nod, the Chief then began leading everybody out. They all filed out silently behind the officer before eventually shutting the door behind them.

Kagura just stared at the door once it was closed. Her eyes then shifted to Gintoki. His eyes coldly stared back at her. It was now just the two of them, completely alone in her prison. It wasn't long before Gintoki started walking up to the girl, but soon stopped a short distance away from her. He was eyeing her from head to toe, trying to see if anything had changed from the night before.

_Hmm…she definitely seems to have calmed down a little _he thought to himself. _But still, I shouldn't be careless. After last night, I have no idea what she might try to pull…_

Meanwhile, Kagura simply stared back at him, waiting for him to say something. She didn't know what to expect from him, but she was already assuming the worst. Gintoki was not going to be happy with her…

After a spending a few minutes in silence, Gintoki spoke up. "Well?" he asked as he glared at the girl. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Kagura just clenched her teeth as she continued staring at the samurai. It hurt to meet his glare. She could hear the disappointment in his tone. She had no idea how she should respond to his question. She considered apologizing right from the get-go, but she didn't think that doing such a thing would help in the slightest. Gintoki wouldn't believe her. She knew that she had went too far last night. A simple apology wouldn't mean a single damn thing…

"I…I don't know…" she eventually mumbled.

Gintoki could feel himself growing a little angrier when he heard this. "You don't know?" he repeated.

Kagura turned away. Gintoki's glare was already getting too intense to handle. She bit her tongue for a second, trying to think of what she should say. She couldn't apologize, she couldn't defend herself, she didn't know what to do.

_Maybe I can try and get some information? _she wondered hopelessly.

Kagura gently turned back to look at Gintoki. "Er…how is Tsukky doing?" she asked quietly.

Upon hearing this, Gintoki clenched his teeth out of rage. He felt like he could barely control his anger at this point. "Don't even mention Tsukuyo at all," he muttered.

Kagura immediately winced at these harsh words. It truly did hurt her to hear Gintoki say these things in such an angry tone. But Kagura soon swallowed her self pity. She clenched her teeth and bravely looked back up. She decided that she would bear with this pain. She knew that she deserved it. She had committed the sin, and now she would have to pay the price.

Gintoki just stared at her, trying to read her expression. He wanted some answers from the girl. "What the hell were you thinking last night?" he asked her. "Just what in the world would make you want to attack Tsukuyo like that?"

Kagura could only hopelessly stare back at the samurai. She was once again faced with a question that she didn't know the answer to. "I…I don't know what came over me last night," she replied honestly. "When Tsukky and I were alone…I just suddenly found myself welling up with rage. I was so angry...I don't usually act so rashly like that, but for some reason, this time, I felt like I was completely blinded by my emotions…"

"Stop it," Gintoki suddenly commanded her. "You're just making excuses."

"No, I'm not!" Kagura shouted. "I'm telling the truth! I really don't know what came over me last night!"

Gintoki just gave the girl a curious look. "Hmph," he grumbled before looking away. _This isn't really giving me any answers _he thought._ I already experienced her anger first hand last night when she attacked me. But what's the reason behind that anger? Is it the same as what she said last night?_

"Kagura," he said, loud and clear, "is it true that you have a problem with Tsukuyo and I getting married?"

Upon hearing this, Kagura's mouth fell open. She had not been expecting to be asked such a thing. Coming to her senses, the girl took a silent gulp before deciding to answer truthfully. "Yes, I do," she whispered.

Gintoki simply watched her in silence. He didn't say a word.

"However," Kagura suddenly continued. "I would never do anything to hurt Tsukky like that! You know me, Gin-chan! I actually really like Tsukky! I would never want to attack her, no matter what kind of stupid problem I might have with her!"

Gintoki continued watching her for a second before he threw the girl his coldest glare yet. "It doesn't matter," he muttered. "You already _have _hurt Tsukuyo in more ways than you can imagine. Not only did you completely damage her body physically, but you also really hurt her emotionally…"

Kagura's eyes widened in surprise. She was at a complete loss for words. "W-what do you mean…?"

Gintoki paused for a second before choosing to reveal the truth to the girl. "Tsukuyo blames herself for what happened last night," he said quietly. "She feels horrible about it. She thinks that it's all her fault that you've been so upset. I'll bet she even thinks that it's _her _fault that you attacked her."

Kagura was completely shocked. "Th-that's crazy…"

Gintoki just crossed his arms as he looked away. "Well, you know how she is…she always feels like she has to take responsibility for stuff like this. Even if she is completely innocent, she won't let herself off the hook so easily. Even if I try to tell her that's she's got it wrong, she won't really listen to me. You really shook her up last night, and now Tsukuyo's wounds run deeper than just her body. You hurt her heart."

"Her heart?" Kagura repeated in a barely audible tone. The poor girl then looked down in dismay and forced her eyes shut. _Urgh, I don't believe this! What have I done? I never wanted this to happen! I never wanted to hurt Tsukky like this! Never!_

_Oh, but that's not entirely true, now is it? I really did want it…last night…._

_How!? _Kagura asked herself over and over. _How could I have done something so reckless!? So stupid!? Gin-chan says that Tsukky feels horrible about this? I'm the one who should feel horrible! She doesn't deserve to feel that way! This was all my fault! Ugh, how can Tsukky ever forgive me…?_

Kagura slowly looked up to find Gintoki staring at her once more. She couldn't sit still anymore. The guilt that was weighing on her was too much to bear. She felt like she had to do _something_. Gathering her courage, she decided to try something desperate. She had a question to ask.

"Can I…go and see Tsukky?"

Gintoki just gave her a weird look. "Are you completely out of your mind!?" he demanded. "I can't let you out of here! And to go and see Tsukuyo of all things! Do you even realize what you're asking!?"

Kagura tried to plead with the samurai. "But I just-"

Gintoki quickly interrupted her. "Just what? Just want to finish her off!?"

"No!" she shouted back. "I just want to apologize! You know…for everything that happened last night…"

Gintoki held his tongue as he stared at the girl some more. _Huh, well this is new _he thought. _Is she actually showing some remorse? And her words…They actually seem kind of…sincere…_

Gintoki just shook his head as he crossed his arms once more. "Look, I don't know if you're telling the truth or not, but either way, there's no way that I can possibly trust you right now. You've lost that privilege after last night. As far as I know, you're still a danger to everyone around you, especially Tsukuyo. I'm afraid that I have no choice but to just keep you here for the time being."

Kagura's head fell in disappointment. _Well, so much for that…_

"I understand," she mumbled.

Gintoki stared at her for one more second before he slowly turned away. He then gave a sigh. "Well, I guess that's all for now. I'm heading out."

Kagura soon whipped her head back up. "What? You're leaving?"

"That's right. I'm leaving for now, but I'll be back to check on you later."

"Oh, I see…"

Kagura just silently watched him walk up to the door before a thought suddenly struck her. "Oh, hey, wait!" she called out.

Gintoki stopped in his tracks and looked back at the girl. "What is it?"

Kagura sheepishly looked up at him with a small frown. "Er, the next time you see Tsukky…can you just…um, tell her that I'm sorry? And that I mean it?"

Gintoki was surprised to hear such a request. Despite his anger towards the current situation, he managed to give the girl a small smile. "Sure, I'll let her know."

Kagura tried to return his smile. "Thanks…"

After that, Gintoki faced forward once more and opened the door. He then exited the room while he shut the door behind him. Sitting outside the room, apparently waiting for him, was Shinpachi and Otae. The two siblings immediately looked up to the samurai.

"Well, how did it go, Gin-san?" asked Shinpachi.

"It went…fine," he replied bluntly.

"Did you manage to figure anything out?" asked a worried Otae. "Like why she chose to attack Tsukuyo out of the blue last night?"

Gintoki just softly scratched the back of his head. "Well, not really. She didn't really give me any straightforward answers…She honestly seemed kind of confused, just like the rest of us. And it's possible that she even seemed genuinely sorry for what had happened…"

"Well, she certainly does seem to have calmed down since last night," Shinpachi noted.

"That's true," agreed Gintoki, trying to make sense out of the whole situation. "I need to take some time to think things over, but I'll do that later. As for now, I'm heading back home. I think that a lot of our friends have congregated there waiting to hear some news on Tsukuyo. I think that Kagura is fine for now, so you two don't have to stay here and keep an eye on her any longer. If you like, you're free to come with me."

"Well, as long as Kagura is okay for now," said Otae with a short glance at the door.

"She'll be fine," Gintoki assured her. "That girl is tough as nails. She'll manage to survive without us." Gintoki then began walking down the hallway. "Anyways, let's get going."

The siblings both gave a single nod as they rose to their feet. They simply followed behind the samurai, who was leading them towards the exit of the building. As Gintoki walked, he couldn't help but notice an ominous feeling fall over him. For some reason, Kagura's last words were ringing in his ears.

"_Er, the next time you see Tsukky…can you just…um, tell her that I'm sorry? And that I mean it?"_

Shaking his head, Gintoki just stared off into nothingness with a grim expression. _Something's not right here…_

* * *

Tsukuyo was silently laying on her hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. At this moment, she felt too awake to try to fall asleep, so she simply sat there with her eyes open. As a matter of fact, her mind was rather preoccupied with concerns over a certain young Yato girl…

_I wonder how Kagura is doing after last night…Is she still her same vicious self from before? Does she still want me dead? Is she still…upset with me?_

Tsukuyo looked off to the side with a frown. _Oh Tsukuyo, you fool. Of course she is. You saw her expression last night, didn't you? She wouldn't get over something like that so easily…_

She gently shook her head and looked up to the ceiling again. _Hmm…I wonder how Gintoki is dealing with her. He's probably going to be hard on her. That's too bad…I mean, I know that she deserves it and all, but still, if this whole thing was actually my fault…_

Tsukuyo's thoughts were soon interrupted when a nurse came by and knocked on the doorframe of her room. "Excuse me, miss," she said politely. "There's somebody here who would like to see you."

Tsukuyo slowly sat up and found a comfortable position where her wounds wouldn't bother her. "Someone's here?"

"That's right," clarified the nurse. "Apparently, you have a visitor. Is now a good time?"

"Oh, sure, now is fine," said Tsukuyo with a nod.

"Right, I'll send him in then," said the nurse as she walked away.

Tsukuyo just stared at the empty doorway. _A visitor, huh? I wonder who it could be. One of my friends, maybe? Oh well, whoever it is, it can't hurt to see them. I honestly need something to get my mind off of Kagura…_

A few seconds later, a man whom Tsukuyo did not recognize entered the room, much to her surprise. The man simply greeted her with a small smile as he walked up to her bed.

"Hello there," he said in a calm tone. "Would you happen to be Gintoki's fiancé?"

Tsukuyo simply stared at him for a second before giving a small nod. "Yes, that would be me."

"I see," said the man, continuing to smile. "You'll have to forgive me for barging in like this. Please, allow me to explain who I am. You see, I am an old friend of Gintoki's. He and I go way back. As it turns out, I was actually in the area for your upcoming wedding when I found out that Gintoki's bride had been unexpectedly hospitalized. I thought it was rather unfortunate to hear such a thing, so I figured I might as well come and pay you a visit."

The man then paused for a moment before gesturing to a nearby chair. "Do you mind if I sit?"

"Not at all," Tsukuyo replied as she tried to study the man with her eyes. To the best of her knowledge, she had never met this man before.

The man took a seat in the chair before smiling at Tsukuyo once more. "Anyways, if I'm not mistaken, I'm afraid that we've never had the pleasure of meeting one another. What is your name, dear?"

"I'm Tsukuyo," she said plainly. "And you are?"

The man just grinned to himself before he responded. "I'm Shinsuke. Takasugi Shinsuke."

* * *

**Oh dear…well this can't be good XD Within the Gintama universe, I think that Takasugi is the last person you would ever want visiting you in the hospital. Like seriously, I think I'd rather take Kamui or Utsuro before this guy. Oh well, I guess it's Tsukuyo's problem now…(Wow, what a carefree author!)**

**Anyways, I thought of something fun that I can talk about down here! Throughout the following chapters, I've decided that I will be revealing my top ten favorite Gintama characters! Yeah! Woo-hoo! Applause! Applause!**

**Huh? Oh, nobody cares…**

**Well, I'm going to do it anyway! Starting with this chapter, I'll be talking about my top ten characters in order with one character for each chapter. I'll discuss what I like in particular about each character and why I put them in my personal top ten! Isn't that fun? Let's get started!**

**Number 10: Shimura Shinpachi**

**Ah, what can I say about Shinpachi? He's the straight man, and that's one of the most important roles in a comedy series! I oftentimes find myself laughing at him simply because his character type builds upon the already hilarious situation by pointing out the flaws. It's very entertaining, to say the least. I also think that it is very easy to connect with Shinpachi, as he is just your plain old everyday kid. There's nothing really special about him, but in a series like Gintama, that's what makes him stand out. I think he kind of symbolizes the audience, in a way. Aside from that, he's responsible, accountable, reliable, kindhearted, and just overall likeable. And it is for these reasons that he placed tenth!**

**Anyways, that all for now! Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter and your thoughts on Shinpachi! (Thoughts on Shinpachi? Wait, what!?) Next chapter, Takasugi has a chat with Tsukuyo…Please look forward to it! That's all for now! See you next time! **


	45. Book 3 - Chapter 11

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 11

"I'm Shinsuke. Takasugi Shinsuke."

Tsukuyo blankly stared at the man. She paused for a second. _Takasugi Shinsuke? I think I've heard that name before…_

Takasugi curiously stared back at Tsukuyo. "Is something the matter?" he asked innocently.

"No," said Tsukuyo slowly. "I was just thinking about how familiar your name sounds. I'm almost certain that I've heard Gintoki and Katsura mention it before."

"Oh, Gintoki and Katsura, eh?" asked Takasugi with a grin. The man crossed his arms as he relaxed in his chair. "I'll bet they didn't have anything good to say about me…"

"No, probably not," Tsukuyo agreed with a smile. "But I think that's normal for them. Gintoki in particular seems to enjoy complaining about his friends."

"Heh, that does sound like him," said Takasugi with a nod. "He's always been like that."

"Really?" asked Tsukuyo, growing intrigued. "That's interesting to hear. Tell me, Shinsuke, how long have you known Gintoki?"

"I've known him since we were kids. The same goes for Katsura."

"I see," said Tsukuyo, still smiling. "Then you must have known Sakamoto as well?"

"Oh yeah, I know that fool," said Takasugi with a small laugh. "He came along later, but we treated him as a comrade just the same."

"Wow, that's so interesting," said Tsukuyo, her eyes gleaming.

Takasugi noticed the look on her face. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Didn't you know all of this beforehand?"

Tsukuyo shook her head. "No, Gintoki never told me much about his past before…"

"Oh, he likes to keep it a secret, does he?" asked Takasugi, his grin growing wider. "Hmph, that fool. What kind of man decides to keep secrets from the woman he loves?"

Tsukuyo just stared at the man in silence. She didn't know what to say.

Takasugi glanced at her. "You know, I could tell you about his past, if you want to know more…"

Tsukuyo's eyes widened. "Gintoki's past?"

"That's right. I could tell you about everything we went through together since we were children. It's a rather fascinating story. I'm sure you'd love to hear about it…"

Tsukuyo looked down and gently clasped the blanket that rested on top of her. She considered his offer for a moment before slowly looking back up. "I…I would like to hear about his past…but I'm afraid that I'll have to refuse your offer."

"Oh? You refuse?" asked Takasugi with another grin.

"Yeah," said Tsukuyo quietly, looking off to the side. "It's not that I don't want to hear about it. Trust me, I've been wondering about his past for quite some time now. But it's just…well, I think that Gintoki must have his reasons for not sharing this information with me before now. I honestly think that he's just not ready yet. And…"

Tsukuyo looked back at Takasugi with a serious determination in her eyes. "And I want to wait for him to be ready to share it with me. I'm not going to force him and I don't want to hear it from someone else. I made a promise to myself that I would be patient. So, I'm sorry, but I'm just going to have to deny your offer."

Takasugi slowly closed his single eye as he listened. "I see," he said quietly. He then paused for a second before reopening his eye and smiling at Tsukuyo. "Gintoki seems to have found himself a wonderful bride, hasn't he?"

Tsukuyo blushed a little bit before looking away. "Th-thank you," she mumbled in response to the unexpected praise.

"He must be lucky to have found someone like you," said Takasugi as he casually glanced at a nearby clock. "Oh my, it's already much later than I thought it was," he said abruptly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go and make a phone call."

"Oh, of course," said Tsukuyo politely.

"Great, I'll be right back," Takasugi assured her as he rose from his seat. He then departed from the room while Tsukuyo silently stared after him. She softly smiled to herself as she leaned back against her bed.

_It's amazing to see how many people Gintoki has connections with. Who would have thought that he had so many old friends?_

* * *

Gintoki, Shinpachi, and Otae walked into Snack House Otose only to have everyone's eyes fall on them at once. The group of onlookers surrounded the trio, as they had apparently been awaiting their arrival. Within the bar stood Otose, Catherine, Tama, Kyuubei, Sachan, Hasegawa, Sakamoto, Mutsu, Katsura, Elizabeth, and surprisingly enough, even Ikumatsu. Gintoki just glanced around at them all as they stared back.

"What are you all looking at?" asked Gintoki innocently.

Otose quickly erupted. "We're looking at YOU, you idiot!"

"Why?"

"Why do you think!?" Otose barked at him. "We've been waiting here all day to hear some news about Tsukuyo!"

Shinpachi just gave a sigh from behind his boss. "Stop messing with them Gin-san. You already knew that they were going to ask you about this."

"Really?" asked Gintoki as he picked his nose. "Must have slipped my mind."

"JUST TELL US ABOUT TSUKUYO!" Otose demanded.

Gintoki just ignored her as he turned to face the unexpected guest amongst the crowd. "Hey Ikumatsu," he said calmly. "I'm surprised to see you here."

Ikumatsu just stared back at him with a frown. "I decided to come over as soon as Katsura told me about what had happened to your bride. Tell me, how is she doing?"

"Yeah, how is Tsukky?" asked Sachan, sounding concerned.

"Is she all right?" asked Kyuubei.

Gintoki just glanced at all of them once more before answering. "Tsukuyo is fine. She has some serious cuts and bruises, but she's being treated in the hospital right now."

Upon hearing this, the entire room seemed to give a collective sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it," Otose mumbled.

"That's great news!" Sakamoto blurted out happily. "Ah ha ha ha- OOF!"

Mutsu retracted her elbow after jabbing Sakamoto in the side with it. She then glared at him with clenched teeth. "Fool! Read the situation!" she hissed.

Sakamoto just coughed in response. "Sorry…"

Katsura decided to speak up. "So what's going to happen now?"

"What do you mean?" Gintoki asked him.

"What are you going to do about your wedding now that Tsukuyo is incapacitated?" Katsura asked seriously.

Upon hearing this, everyone shifted their eyes back to Gintoki, awaiting a response from the samurai. Gintoki just gave a sigh before glancing down at the floor. "I think we're going to have to postpone it for now…"

Otae gave a small gasp of surprise from beside him. "Oh no!" she cried. "Your going to postpone it?"

"Well of course he is," said Catherine from across the bar. "What other choice does he have?"

"It's true," agreed Hasegawa. "With Tsukuyo in such a condition, there's no way that they can continue on with the current schedule."

Gintoki looked over to Otae. "It's for the best," he told her.

Otae simply frowned. "I know," she said quietly. "It's just so sad…"

"Yes," Tama chimed in. "Gintoki-sama and Tsukuyo-sama were just about to be married and then something like this happens. It truly is tragic."

"It will be all right," Gintoki declared reassuringly. "Tsukuyo is tough. She'll pull through this and then we'll just get married later. It's no big deal."

Everyone stared at the samurai with a sad expression. Some of them murmured his name as they watched him. They felt bad having to watch their friend go through something like this, even if he claimed that it was "no big deal".

Otose was the one who eventually broke the silence. "What about Kagura?" she asked.

Gintoki paused upon hearing the girl's name. He then stared back at the old woman. "What about her?"

"What are you going to do with the girl?"

Gintoki just looked away. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "I guess I'll just keep her locked up for now. There's not much else I can do with her…"

"All of this is so hard to believe," said Katsura quietly. "Why would Leader want to attack Tsukuyo like that?"

"That girl was never that ferocious before, was she?" asked Sakamoto, trying to remember.

"Of course not," Otae chimed in. "Kagura-chan could be a little feisty sometimes, but she was still one of the sweetest girls around."

"It's true," agreed Hasegawa. "She would never attack anybody out of the blue like that."

"Then why did she?" asked Kyuubei, looking around the room.

The room went silent for a second before all eyes landed on Gintoki again. The samurai just scratched the back of his head. "I don't know," he said. "I'm still trying to figure it all out myself."

"Something weird is going on," Otose declared suddenly. "This whole situation just sounds really suspicious."

Catherine looked at her. "What are you trying to say, Otose-san?"

"I'm not entirely sure," the old lady replied honestly. "I just can't help but feel like things aren't quite what they seem."

The room went silent once more after this. Nobody knew what to say anymore. Gintoki himself wasn't quite sure what to make of his landlord's words, so he just brushed them aside. "Look, I promise that I'll try and get to the bottom of this as soon as I can. For now, I need to go back to the hospital and check up on Tsukuyo. I told her that I would come back to visit her later."

Everyone in the room simply gave a nod in the samurai's direction. They honestly felt too depressed to really say anything at this point. Gintoki just nodded in return and then went to take his leave. He paused however, when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He slowly turned around to find Shinpachi staring at him.

"No matter what happens, we'll always have your back, Gin-san," he said quietly.

Gintoki simply continued staring at the boy for another second before softly smiling. "Right," he replied. After that, the samurai faced forward again, and exited the building…

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Tsukuyo's hospital room, Takasugi calmly reentered from the hallway. He then slowly made his way back to Tsukuyo's bedside where he took a seat once more. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "I was just calling for my ride."

"It's no problem," Tsukuyo replied. "Are you planning on leaving soon?"

"Yes, my ride should be here shortly."

"I see," said Tsukuyo. "You know, I think that Gintoki should be coming back here soon. If you're willing to wait a little bit, you could probably meet up with him."

"Meet up with Gintoki?" repeated Takasugi with a grin. "Heh, that would be interesting…"

"Why is that?" Tsukuyo asked curiously.

"Well, it's been a while since we've last seen each other. I can't help but wonder how he would react."

Tsukuyo couldn't help but smile at this. "Who knows? Gintoki is completely unpredictable sometimes."

"That's true," Takasugi agreed with a small smile. "But enough about me and Gintoki; I haven't even had a chance to ask you about yourself. Tell me, Tsukuyo, how are you feeling?"

Tsukuyo looked down at herself with surprise. Meeting this man had almost made her forget that she was injured and in the hospital. "I'm fine," she replied. "I'm a little sore, but I'll pull through."

"That's good to hear," said Takasugi with a small smile. He then paused for a second before frowning. "It was rather tragic to hear about what had happened to you in the first place. Is it true that you were attacked by a young Yato girl?"

Tsukuyo simply returned his frown. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"I also heard that this girl was rather close to you and Gintoki."

Tsukuyo nodded sadly. "That's right. Her name is Kagura."

"I see," said Takasugi. "And she just attacked you out of nowhere?"

"That's correct."

"Wow," said Takasugi, sounding surprised. "That's crazy."

"I can't really believe it either," said Tsukuyo with a sigh. I had always thought that Kagura and I were friends. I don't understand how something like this could have ever happened between us."

"Hmm," mumbled Takasugi as he stared up at the ceiling. "You know, I've heard that the Yato are known for being incredibly vicious when it comes to combat. Do you think that this attack has something to do with her nature?"

Tsukuyo paused for a second as she considered her answer. "No, of course not," she said adamantly.

Takasugi glanced at her out of surprise. "Really? You don't think that this might have just been a natural reaction for the girl?"

"No," Tsukuyo insisted as she shook her head. "Kagura would never do something like this unless she had a reason…"

Tsukuyo paused once more. Something about last night's events struck her as odd. Things didn't quite add up.

_This reaction isn't normal for her…_

"Now that I think about it, this doesn't really make any sense," Tsukuyo said suddenly. "Look, I've known Kagura for a long time, and I've never seen this viciousness that you speak of before. Not from Kagura, anyway. She's actually a lot more harmless and delicate than you'd think. This reaction would be the exact opposite of natural for her…"

Takasugi simply listened with interest. "Oh?"

"Something must be wrong here," said Tsukuyo sternly. "I'm sure of it."

The room went silent for a moment after Tsukuyo finished. Takasugi just gave her a small smile before he spoke up. "Well, it's nice to see that you have faith in your friend even after all of this has happened to you," he said sincerely. "It's very admirable."

Tsukuyo soon found herself returning his smile. "Oh, well thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad that Gintoki has found someone as pure-hearted and devoted as you."

Tsukuyo was about to thank the man once more, but she paused when a small ring interrupted her. Takasugi simply glanced down towards one of his kimono's pockets before pulling out a cell phone. Apparently, he had just received a message. The samurai briefly glanced at the message before grinning. He then pocketed the cell phone.

"Well, the time has just flown by, hasn't it?" he asked Tsukuyo. "It's about time that we got going."

Tsukuyo was about to respond to him, but quickly stopped herself. She then gave the man a confused look. "Excuse me, Shinsuke, but did you just say 'we'?"

"That's right," Takasugi replied. "_We_ need to get going."

Tsukuyo stared at him, more confused than ever. "What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the man asked with a wicked smile. "You're coming with me."

"Huh!?" asked Tsukuyo, taken aback. She quickly tried to sit up into a better position, but her wounds hindered her movements. She just winced as she stared at the man's smile. _Shit, I don't trust that look at all…_

Without hesitating, Takasugi proceeded to reach into one of his pockets and withdraw something. He then held it up for Tsukuyo to see what it was. It was relatively small and spherical in shape. Nevertheless, Tsukuyo instantly realized what it was.

_It's a bomb…_

Takasugi soon clicked a button on the bomb before hurling it at the windows across from him. Despite her wounds, Tsukuyo barely managed to scramble out of bed and away from the wall before the bomb made contact. The moment it did, the wall was blown to pieces.

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth as she held her head in her hands. Tiny pieces of glass and rubble were falling around her, but they weren't causing any harm. Once things started to settle down a little bit, she looked back to see a cloud of dust covering the newly made hole where the wall used to be. She noticed Takasugi standing in front of it, still grinning. He turned to look at her.

"Look, our ride's here," he said, gesturing outside.

Tsukuyo squinted through the dust only to find a large spacecraft waiting outside her room. As she watched, the ship was slowly moving closer towards them. Tsukuyo could only watch in horror as the man known as Takasugi Shinsuke advanced towards her…

* * *

Gintoki walked into the hospital only to be met with a huge surprise. Everything was total chaos. Doctors, nurses, patients, and visitors were all running in different directions, desperately trying to get away from the scene. Gintoki wasn't quite sure what to make of this, but he immediately knew that something was wrong. He quickly grabbed a nearby nurse by the arm and pulled her close to him.

"Hey, lady, what the hell is going on in here?" he asked. "Why is everyone going crazy?"

"D-didn't you hear it just now?" the nurse stuttered. "Th-there was an explosion on the eleventh floor!"

"What!?" Gintoki shouted. "Are you serious!?"

"Ah! You're hurting me!" the nurse screamed as she pushed on Gintoki's arm. "Please, let me go!"

Gintoki barely heard a word that she had said. His mind was racing wildly right now. _The eleventh floor…That's where Tsukuyo is!_

Without another word, Gintoki threw the nurse aside and madly rushed off towards the stairs. He soon began climbing them as fast as he could, desperate to get to the eleventh floor. As he ran, his mind was flooded with confusing questions that he couldn't even begin to answer.

_There was an explosion on Tsukuyo's floor? Why? What happened? Is Tsukuyo okay? What's going on? Why are there so many damn stairs to climb!?_

Before long, Gintoki reached the floor he was looking for and rocketed off down the hall towards Tsukuyo's room. To his horror, there appeared to be a small congregation of people outside of it…

"Out of my way!" he demanded, forcing his way into the room. "Tsukuyo!?"

Gintoki froze as he looked around the room. The far wall was blown to pieces, leaving a gigantic hole in its place. Dust and debris covered the room. Gintoki glanced over to Tsukuyo's bed. It was empty.

Gintoki quickly grabbed another nearby nurse from the hall. "What happened here!?" he demanded. "Where's Tsukuyo!?"

"I…I don't know!" the nurse cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I-it must have been that man who visited her! He must have done this!"

"What?" shouted Gintoki. "Somebody visited Tsukuyo!? Who!?"

"I don't know!" she cried again. "He didn't give a name!"

"Describe him for me!" Gintoki barked, his eyes sparking with rage.

Terrified, the nurse tried to stir her memory. "Uh, I-I remember he wore a purple kimono that was covered in butterflies! And he also had a bandage covering one eye!"

Gintoki froze once more as he stared at the nurse. His eyes slowly widened. "Seriously?" he breathed.

"Yes, that's all I know!" she screamed. "I swear!"

Gintoki just let go of the nurse as he glanced back at the missing wall. Staring at the gaping hole in terror, Gintoki suddenly realized who he was dealing with...

* * *

**And that's the chapter! Man, things have gotten pretty intense, haven't they? Well good! That's just the way I like it! By the way, I'm sure you're all wondering why I chose the **_**eleventh**_** floor as the location of Tsukuyo's room! (I actually bet that no one is wondering that XD) Well, I'll tell you! It's because this is the eleventh chapter of Book 3! That's all! Real creative, huh? XD**

**Anyways, it's time to continue my list of favorite Gintama characters! Here we go!**

**Number 9: Hasegawa Taizou**

**I just love this guy to death. Why? Because he's literally one of the most selfless individuals you'll ever see. He may be cursed with some of the worst luck ever, but every time he gets a chance for something good to happen to him, he ends up blowing it off just to make somebody else better off. That's **_**crazy**_**. And he does it all the time too! Like seriously, he's **_**so**_** nice! I honestly think that Hasegawa needs to become the Shogun or something XD I mean, come on, he would do such a good job! And then the guy who has nothing would literally end up with everything! It's a great ending for a great man! Another thing I love is that Hasegawa's depression can be downright hilarious sometimes XD Also, did you see how badass he looked in the last chapter!? (596 O_O) But yeah, I mostly just love Hasegawa for his selflessness. I've decided to try and give this guy a happy life in my story, so please don't beat down on him saying that he has to be depressed all the time. Like seriously, just give the guy a break already! Sheesh! XD**

**But that's enough about him. I'm done for now. Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! Next time: part of Takasugi's plan comes to light! Please look forward to it! Thank you! Goodbye!**


	46. Book 3 - Chapter 12

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 12

Tsukuyo slowly opened her eyes and put a hand to her aching head. As she moved, she immediately winced at the unexpected feeling of pain that overcame her. Coming to her senses, she suddenly remembered that she was still heavily injured after fighting with Kagura. The rest of the events that had taken place earlier that day soon came flooding back to her.

_Ugh, my head feels so dizzy…I must have been knocked out after we left the hospital…_

Looking around, Tsukuyo tried to determine where she was. It was dark, but Tsukuyo could still see that she was actually inside of a prison cell. Several iron bars locked together both vertically and horizontally, creating an inescapable cage. The door to the prison sat right in front of her, but it was closed shut and most certainly locked. Tsukuyo didn't even bother trying to open it; she decided to spare herself the energy.

After glancing around the room a little longer, Tsukuyo looked down at herself. She was still inside of a hospital gown, and all of her wounds were fortunately still bandaged. Nevertheless, her injuries still hurt, and movement wasn't easy. It was obvious that she should be back in the hospital, still being monitored, but she no longer had any control over that. She was completely at the mercy of her captors.

Just as Tsukuyo was about to curse her situation, the door at the end of the room surprisingly opened up. As light flooded into the dimly lit room, Tsukuyo was able to notice that there were several other prison cells alongside her own, all of which were empty. Squinting at the open doorway, she tried to figure out who was walking in.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Tsukuyo had already recognized the voice before she even saw the face. She immediately clenched her teeth. "Bastard…"

Takasugi just smiled as he walked right up to her cell. "Hey now, is that any way to talk to your new warden?"

"Cut the crap," Tsukuyo spat at him. "Where the hell am I?"

Takasugi simply continued smiling as he lit his kiseru and brought it up to his lips. "You're aboard my ship," he said softly. "Tell me, do you find it to your liking?"

Tsukuyo just looked away without answering. _This bastard's messing with me…_

Takasugi grinned at the girl's obvious display of willpower. "Anyways, I suppose I should apologize for what happened back at the hospital. You must have been quite surprised. Then again, I only managed to get away with it because you were so trusting of me."

Tsukuyo refused to utter a sound as she continued looking away.

"Perhaps I should reintroduce myself, with a couple more details this time?" asked Takasugi condescendingly. "I wouldn't want you to make any rash judgments about me. After all, misjudging my intentions can be a rather deadly mistake."

Tsukuyo couldn't listen to this anymore. "Just who are you?" she demanded coldly.

Takasugi grinned once more. "Well, as I said before, my name is Takasugi Shinsuke. I am the leader of a terrorist organization known as the Kiheitai. We traverse the universe and create chaos wherever we go. As the leader, I feed off of destruction. I love to watch things burn. Buildings, cities, people, relationships…"

Takasugi paused as he inhaled from his pipe. "You see, Tsukuyo, there's a black beast writhing inside of me, and it begs for vengeance. So I simply destroy, until the best stops howling…"

Tsukuyo cringed upon noticing the man's wicked smile. "You're insane," she said quietly.

"Am I?" asked Takasugi innocently. "It's really all a matter of perspective if you think about it."

"I don't care," said Tsukuyo bravely. "What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?"

Takasugi simply smiled before bringing his pipe back to his lips. "You're the bait," he said ominously.

Tsukuyo just looked confused for a second before the realization came to her. Smiling triumphantly, Takasugi went to take his leave.

"See you later, _Tsukuyo_," he said in a taunting voice.

Tsukuyo watched him walk out the door before closing it behind him. The room was then plunged into darkness once more. As her eyesight began to adjust, Tsukuyo inwardly cursed.

_Damn it…I get it now. He wants Gintoki to come after me. It's all a big trap, and I'm the bait. If Gintoki actually shows up here, it will just end up playing right into this bastard's hand. Damn it all…_

_And of course, the worst part is that I already know that idiot fiancé of mine will come after me…It's only a matter of time…_

Tsukuyo slowly closed her eyes as she gave a sigh. _Don't do it Gintoki. For once in your life, just stay safe. Please…_

* * *

Back at Shinsengumi headquarters, Kagura's room was once again being monitored. Kondo and Hijikata had taken up positions in front of the girl, while Sogo remained in the corner of the room. Kagura glanced at each of them from time to time, but none of them paid her much attention. Sulking in dismay, the girl just looked away.

_This is so depressing…how long am I going to stay locked up in here? Days? Weeks? Months?_

Shivering at the thought, Kagura just frowned. _Well, whatever the punishment is, it's fine. I know that I deserve it. I did something completely unforgiveable to Tsukky, and I wouldn't be surprised if nobody ever trusted me again…_

Kagura sighed heavily. _How did it come to this? _she wondered sadly.

Just then, the door to the room slammed open. Kagura immediately jolted in surprise, but the Shinsengumi officers calmly turned around to see what was going on. To their surprise, one of their subordinates stood in the doorway.

"Chief!" the man cried. "I have an urgent report for you!"

Kondo walked up to him. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"It's about that hospital incident that we reported a little while ago!"

"Hospital incident?" repeated Kagura, completely confused. She hadn't heard of such a report, so she assumed that it must have happened at some point when Kondo and the others had left the room. Nevertheless, she began to grow curious.

Kondo simply remained calm. "Did our division manage to calm things down over there?"

"Yes, they did!" the underling continued. "But they found out something important while they were there!"

"What was it?" asked Hijikata, cutting in.

"Apparently, just after the explosion happened, a kidnapping was reported. One of the hospital's patients went missing. As for the leading suspect behind all of this, the reports are suggesting that it may have been the handiwork of the infamous terrorist, Takasugi Shinsuke."

"Takasugi!?" Hijikata spat out. "_He_ attacked the hospital!?"

Kagura tried to piece the story together as she listened. _So there was an explosion at the hospital and a patient was kidnapped? And they think it was some guy named Takasugi…Why does that name sound kind of familiar…?_

Meanwhile, Sogo decided to question the officer further. "How do you know that it was Takasugi?"

"The hospital staff that was on the scene described his image perfectly, and the crime definitely seems to fit his character. At this point, all signs are pointing towards him as the culprit."

"I see," said Kondo, quietly assessing the situation. "You said he took a hostage, right? Do we know who it was?"

The man briefly shook his head. "Not really. According to the report, it was apparently some woman originally from Yoshiwara."

Kagura's eyes immediately widened upon hearing this. "W-what?" she choked out.

Kondo quickly turned to look at her. "What's the matter?"

"I don't believe it!" she cried. "It's Tsukky! It has to be!"

Sogo also looked at her. "Wait, you mean that woman you attacked and put in the hospital…is now the same woman that has just been kidnapped?"

"Yes!" Kagura shouted at him.

"Huh," said the boy in wonder. "Well, she must be having a rough day…"

"This is no time for jokes, idiot!" Kagura screamed out of fury. "Tsukky is in danger! We have to go help her!"

"Hey, calm down!" Hijikata ordered her. "We'll get this figured out."

Kagura just ignored him. "Let me out of here!" she demanded.

Kondo looked at her out of shock. "What!?"

"Let me go!" she continued. "I want to go and save Tsukky! She's gotta be in pretty bad shape right now, so she'll need help as soon as possible! Release me, please!"

"N-now hold on a second," said Kondo, raising his voice. "I can't just let you go."

"Oh, come on!" Kagura begged. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while Tsukky is in danger!"

"Well it's not your choice!" Kondo suddenly barked at her. "Listen up! Right now, as far as I know, you're still a dangerous threat to this woman! And not only her, but everyone around you as well!"

"Oh come on!" Kagura shouted again. "This is ridiculous! I'm not going to attack anybody!"

"Then prove it," said Hijikata, suddenly chiming in.

Kagura paused for a second as she looked at the demon vice chief. "Just trust me!" she insisted. "I swear that I won't do anything wrong! Believe me, I'm telling the truth!"

The room went silent for a moment after this. The Shinsengumi officers simply stared at the imprisoned Yato girl, while she desperately stared back. Eventually, Kondo just looked down and slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry little girl, but there's just no way that I can trust you right now."

Kagura could feel her heart fall in dismay. She quickly clenched her teeth before shouting once more. "You _can_ trust me! Just let me go and you'll-"

"That's enough!" Hijikata shouted. "The chief has spoken, and his decision is final. Now why don't you go ahead and spare us all by stopping this incessant torrent of nonsense."

Kagura clenched her teeth harder after hearing this. "It's not nonsense, I'm telling the _truth_. Now if you idiots would just listen to me-"

"Hey, I said that's enough," said Hijikata once more. He then turned his attention back to his chief. "What's our plan?"

Kondo just stared at him for a second before turning towards the officer who had originally come to deliver the message. "Go and have all of our forces assemble themselves. We're going to attempt to go after Takasugi." He then paused before he posed a question. "Do we have a lead as to his whereabouts?"

"Ah, yes sir!" the officer quickly replied. "We believe that he escaped from the hospital on a large spacecraft. We've managed to find the ship and are currently tracking its movements. We assume that Takasugi and the hostage are both on board."

"The spacecraft hasn't left the atmosphere?" asked Sogo, sounding curious.

"Apparently not," the officer continued. "It appears to be leaving Edo at a relatively slow pace."

"Slow huh?" asked Kondo as he put a hand to his chin. "In that case, we should be able to catch up to it…"

After a moment of consideration, Kondo made up his mind. "All right, it's decided. We're going to go after that thing. Our goal will be to try and rescue that woman and then to take down Takasugi if possible. Go ahead and issue this report to all officers, and then tell them to prepare for departure."

"Yes chief!" the officer replied. The man quickly ran out of the room, hurrying off to fulfill his orders.

Kondo then turned to Hijikata. "Toshi, you and I will go and handle this situation. As for the girl…"

Kondo let his sentence drift off as he glanced at Kagura. He then turned towards Sogo. "We'll leave you in charge of keeping an eye on her, Sogo."

Sogo just shrugged with a frown. "Okay," he said plainly.

"Now hold on a second!" Kagura screamed at the top of her lungs. "You're leaving me alone with _him_!?"

"Yes," said Kondo bluntly. "Now be a good girl and behave yourself. If you do that, maybe we can let you out early for good behavior."

"To hell with that!" Kagura shouted. "You can't leave me alone with this sadist! Leave somebody else here instead! Like Toshi!"

"Who're you calling Toshi!?" Hijikata demanded angrily.

"I'm talking to _you_!" Kagura barked at him. "That's your name, isn't it?"

"Enough," said Kondo, holding a hand in the air to silence them. "Sogo will handle this. In the meantime, we really need to get moving. Let's go, Toshi."

"Right," the vice chief agreed.

"So it's okay if he calls you Toshi!?" Kagura screamed angrily.

"Shut up!" Hijikata barked back at her.

And with that, the two older officers left the room, shutting the door behind them. Kagura just stared at the closed door in anger before clenching her teeth and throwing a glare in the remaining officer's direction.

"Why did I have to get stuck with you?" she grumbled in distaste.

Sogo didn't respond. Instead, he just crossed his arms and continued frowning at the girl with an innocent stare. He then looked away. Kagura immediately found this behavior to be odd. She simply raised an eyebrow as she glared at him, trying to figure out what the sadist was thinking…

* * *

"Damn it," Gintoki cursed over and over. "Damn it all…"

Back at the Odd Jobs building, Gintoki was currently sitting at his desk, quietly cursing himself while he held his head in his hands. Surrounding the samurai was a small group of his friends, which consisted of Shinpachi, Katsura, Elizabeth, Sakamoto, and Mutsu. These onlookers simply watched their friend with a frown. Nobody spoke a word.

Gintoki lifted his head up a bit as he continued mourning. "How could I have let this happen?"

Shinpachi spoke up, quick to defend him. "It's not your fault, Gin-san," he said sincerely. "Honestly, how could anybody blame you for this?"

"It's true, Gintoki," Katsura agreed. "Nobody would have expected Tsukuyo to be kidnapped from the hospital. And of course, to be kidnapped by Takasugi of all things…"

"I don't understand," said Sakamoto with a frown. "Why would our good friend Takasugi remove Kintoki's bride from the hospital?"

Elizabeth quickly pulled out a sign. 'Well maybe it's because he's _not _a good friend of ours."

"What are you talking about?" Sakamoto asked the bird. "I'll have you know that Takasugi is our old comrade! We go way back!"

Elizabeth flipped another sign out. 'Things have changed. Your old comrade is now one hell of a villain.'

"What? A villain?" repeated Sakamoto. "I'll admit that Takasugi may be a little short tempered, but he's not a bad guy."

Mutsu just crossed her arms as she spoke up from across the room. "You're such a fool. It's obvious that this Takasugi guy is not very friendly. If anything, he's incredibly hostile, and he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants."

Katsura glanced at the girl. "Hmph, you speak as if you know the man."

Mutsu closed her eyes as she replied. "I don't know him personally, but I can understand his personality and intentions well enough."

"Oh, Mutsu, you're so untrusting of others!" Sakamoto said with a smile. "You're actually kind of hostile yourself! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

"This is hardly the times for jokes, Sakamoto-san," said Shinpachi sadly. The boy then turned to look at Gintoki again.

The samurai just frowned as he lowered his head. "This is all my fault; I know it is…"

"Please don't say that, Gin-san," said Shinpachi quietly. "I already told you that nobody blames you for this."

"But it really is my fault," Gintoki insisted. "I'm the one that Takasugi has a problem with. He should have no interest in Tsukuyo at all. I have a feeling that he only kidnapped her because she has a connection to me."

The room was silent for a moment before Shinpachi spoke up. "But…why?"

"I don't know," said Gintoki as he looked up again. "Maybe he just wants to watch me suffer…"

Katsura just gave a sigh as he closed his eyes. "You never really know with Takasugi. When it comes to him, he's always planning one big scheme after another. This little incident could easily be part of something bigger, something completely beyond any of our imaginations."

Elizabeth produced a sign. 'You know, if Takasugi is here, then it's possible that he brought the entire Kiheitai with him as well.'

"The Kiheitai?" questioned Mutsu.

"They're Takasugi's extremist group of terrorists," Katsura explained. "They're all incredibly dangerous."

"Man, you guys are really making Takasugi out to be a bad guy!" Sakamoto exclaimed jokingly. "Ah ha ha ha!"

"Take this more seriously!" Shinpachi angrily screamed at him. "And Takasugi is evil! Take a hint already!"

Katsura just quietly put a hand to his chin. "Hmm, Takasugi, the Kiheitai…They might not be the only ones that we have to worry about…"

Gintoki slowly looked up at him. "What are you talking about?"

Katsura gave him a serious look. "I'm talking about Kamui."

Gintoki quickly shot up. "What!? You think that Kamui might be here too!?"

"Of course," Katsura replied. "Don't you remember, Gintoki? Back when we were all in Yoshiwara, he informed us that he had previously formed an alliance with Takasugi. It would be no surprise to see him show up here as well."

Gintoki's eyes widened as he listened to this. "So you're telling me…that Tsukuyo is probably alone, dealing with both Takasugi and Kamui right now?"

"It's certainly possible," Katsura agreed grimly.

Gintoki's heart felt like it stopped for a second. His eyes glazed over as he became lost in his thoughts of what could be happening to Tsukuyo at that moment. _What do they want with her? _he wondered desperately. _Is it possible that they're hurting her? Torturing her!? She was already injured to begin with…I doubt that she can take much more! She's in danger! She needs help!_

Without another thought, Gintoki rose to his feet and slammed his fists on his desk. "I can't sit around any longer," he suddenly declared. "I'm going to save Tsukuyo."

And with that, Gintoki started marching for the door. Everybody quickly spoke up, trying to stop him.

"Wait a second, Gin-san!"

"Gintoki, hold on!"

"You shouldn't go alone, Kintoki!"

Gintoki just ignored them all as he approached the doorway. He soon froze however, when the next comment reached his ears.

"You're a complete fool, you know that?"

Gintoki slowly turned to look at Mutsu, who was standing next to him. She was still leaning against the wall next to the door, arms crossed. She silently stared back at the samurai.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked quietly.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked him in return. "You're doing exactly what your enemy wants you to do."

Gintoki didn't say a word, and the rest of the room was speechless as well. Mutsu simply unfolded her arms as she turned to face the samurai completely.

"This Takasugi guy probably only went to the trouble of kidnapping Tsukuyo so he could set up a trap. He _wants_ you to come to her rescue, so he can easily ambush you. Don't you get it? If you go to save your bride now, you'll only be playing right into his hands. The moment you decide to go after Tsukuyo, Takasugi will be ready for you, and I'm almost certain that he won't let you get away unharmed."

Gintoki continued staring at her for another second, before he tightly clenched his teeth. "So what?" he demanded.

"So what?" she repeated angrily. "Listen to me, Takasugi could have easily killed Tsukuyo if he wanted to. But instead, he went out of his way to capture her. This whole thing is obviously just a trap."

"_I don't care_," he hissed at her. "I'm going anyway."

Mutsu could only raise an eyebrow at the furious man before her. "You're still going, even though you know it's probably a trap?"

"Of course I am," Gintoki replied sternly. "I can't just abandon her. Even if this whole thing is a trap, Tsukuyo still needs rescued. That's a fact, no matter how you look at it. And if she needs saving, then I'm going to be the one to save her. That's all there is to it…"

This time, Mutsu clenched her teeth. She then crossed her arms again. "You're a bigger fool than I thought," she whispered.

Gintoki just ignored her. "I'm going," he declared. And with that, he exited the room.

"Ah, wait a second, Gin-san!" Shinpachi desperately called after him. "Don't leave just yet!"

The young glasses-wearing boy chased after him, and it was not long before he too left the room. Sakamoto then went to make a move. "We can't just let them go-"

"Hold on a second," Katsura said suddenly. "Don't go after them, Sakamoto."

Sakamoto looked confused. "Huh? But why not, Zura?"

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura," the samurai reminded him. "And I think we're better off if we stay behind. Your subordinate over there has it right. Something fishy is going on here, and Gintoki's rash judgement probably isn't the best plan of action."

Mutsu curiously glanced at him. "You agree with me?"

"Of course," Katsura told her. "You're the one who seems to have a good grasp on the situation at hand. Gintoki only ran off like that because he isn't thinking rationally right now. I'm afraid to say that there was probably no reasoning with him. That's just the way he is."

'So what should we do now?' asked Elizabeth through a sign.

"I say that we wait and watch what happens for now," Katsura told him. "We'll assess the situation from afar, and then come up with the best plan of action based on that."

"So wait," said Sakamoto, trying to follow along, "are we just going to let Kintoki go off and fall for the trap then?"

Mutsu gave a sigh. "You just heard your friend here, didn't you? If the idiot wants to go off and be an idiot, then by all means, we should let him."

"Er, that's not what I said," mumbled Katsura as a sweat drop slid down his forehead.

"Who cares?" asked Mutsu with a serious look in her eyes. "Whatever the case may be, he's on his own now."

* * *

**Well, here's another delayed chapter of Silver Moon! I'm sorry that I can't seem to manage a consistent update schedule lately. I honestly have the time to work on the story, but I usually end up getting lazy and spending my time doing other things. I had some writer's block while writing this chapter too, so that didn't really do me any favors. But it's fine. I'm sure the story will come to me easier if I just work on it more often. All I can do is blame myself XD**

**All of this aside, it's time to reveal my eighth favorite Gintama character! Here it is:**

**Number 8: Okita Sogo**

**Does anybody care if I spell it Sogo instead of Sougo? It's just a personal preference honestly…I mean, it just looks more natural that way and- Oh! I'm supposed to be talking about his character?! Whoops! Okay, so what do I like about him? Well, for starters, I've always liked the outward appearance that he puts on. He always plays the sadist, usually acting like a jerk around those he doesn't like or care about. However, I can't help but feel like it's all just a ruse, and that his sadist persona is actually just his way of of showing feelings for the people he's genuinely attached to. I mean, sure, Hijikata and Kagura piss him off a lot, but he still cares about them at the end of the day. He just likes toying with them in a messed up way. Is that so wrong? XD I've always kind of seen him as a nice guy with a twisted way of hiding it. I think that sums him up pretty well. However, all of his emotions aside, Sogo is, plain and simple, a total badass! He ruthlessly cuts down his enemies with no remorse! Whenever he fights, you can guarantee that blood will fly everywhere! He's an insane killer in battle, and I just flat-out love that. I hope he kills plenty more people in the future XD**

**Anyways, that's about all I have to say about him. As for the chapter, please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on it! I'd really appreciate it! Next chapter will focus on Gintoki and Shinpachi, along with Sogo and Kagura! Please look forward to it! Until then!**


	47. Book 3 - Chapter 13

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 13

Shinpachi ran out into the street, looking back and forth. It was not long before he spotted Gintoki walking underneath a streetlight not too far away. He immediately took off after the man.

"Gin-san, wait up!"

Gintoki just ignored him, and kept on walking at a steady pace. Shinpachi clenched his teeth as he ran to catch up to him. Once he had, he stood directly in the samurai's path, halting his advance. Gintoki simply stared at the boy.

"Move it, Shinpachi."

Shinpachi didn't listen. He was determined to hold his ground. "Where are you going, Gin-san?"

Gintoki just gave the boy a blank stare. "Where do you think? I already told you; I'm going off to rescue Tsukuyo."

"But right now!?" Shinpachi shouted. "And by yourself!?"

Gintoki continued staring at him for another second before he started to scowl. "Yes, that's exactly right. I'm going to go rescue Tsukuyo, right here and now, and nobody in heaven or hell or this damned earth is going to stop me."

As Shinpachi flinched at his sudden seriousness, Gintoki took the opportunity to brush past him. He then continued his stride. However, Shinpachi quickly regained his composure, and reached out to stop his boss. Grabbing him by the sleeve, Shinpachi halted Gintoki once more.

"Gin-san, stop!" he begged. "This doesn't sound like a good idea!"

Gintoki just turned around and threw him a mild glare. "Do you want me to just let Tsukuyo sit around then, possibly getting tortured or even worse?"

Shinpachi shuddered in fear of that possibility. "Well, no but-"

"But nothing," said Gintoki, walking again. Shinpachi still held on though, and actually ended up being dragged along the ground as he tried to stop the samurai.

"Gin-san, don't be an idiot! This whole situation is probably a trap!"

"Well then I guess I'm an idiot," Gintoki replied simply.

"Mutsu-san didn't think that this was a good idea either!"

"Well she's an idiot too."

"Gin-san!"

Gintoki just closed his eyes before he swept his arm through the air. "That's enough, Shinpachi!"

Shinpachi immediately lost his grip and fell backwards, landing on the ground. He slowly looked up at his boss. "Gin-san…"

"Look," said Gintoki, sounding serious, "I already told you, you're not going to stop me. So just give it up already. My mind is set, and I'm going. So why don't you also go, and just get lost you whiney brat."

Shinpachi just frowned as he watched his boss turn away again. He knew that Gintoki didn't really mean those words. He was just acting tough, like always. Giving a small sigh, Shinpachi rose to his feet.

"So that's the way it's going to be, Gin-san?"

Gintoki didn't respond. He just kept walking away.

"If that's the case," continued Shinpachi, slowly clenching his fists, "then I'm…I'm going to go with you!"

This time, Gintoki completely stopped in his tracks. He then turned around to face his junior employee. He stared at him for a second before smiling and turning away. "Don't make me laugh, Shinpachi. Just get lost already."

"I'm serious!" the boy shouted as he ran to catch up to Gintoki again. "I'm coming with you!"

"Oh really?" asked Gintoki with a smirk. "What about all that other stuff about this being a bad idea and a trap from the enemy?"

Shinpachi started to get a little angry when he heard this. "Don't get me wrong, Gin-san! I know this entire plan is incredibly stupid!"

"Then why are you coming along?" Gintoki inquired.

This time, Shinpachi grinned. "Because you'll need somebody to watch your back, right?"

Gintoki went silent for a second as he eyed the boy. He then looked away. "You know that this will be extremely dangerous right? You may end up losing your life."

Shinpachi frowned. "I know," he admitted. "But, if that's the case, then at least we can both say that we died next to a friend, right?"

Gintoki couldn't help but smile at this. "Hmph, I like the way you think, Shinpachi."

Shinpachi returned the smile. "I can't just leave a friend to go die alone, Gin-san. And I also can't just leave another friend to suffer by themselves."

Gintoki raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean…?"

"I want to save Tsukuyo-san too," he said with confidence. "It's as you said right? She needs a hero to come rescue her."

Gintoki just grinned as he looked away again. "Well, I don't know about a _hero_, but I'd be willing to guess that she'd accept help from anybody at this point. Even if it comes from a good-for-nothing like me…"

Gintoki then paused before closing his eyes. "But, if that's the way that you feel, then I suppose you might as well tag along. I don't think Tsukuyo would mind getting rescued by _two _good-for-nothings, would she?"

Shinpachi beamed at this comment. "Not at all."

"Then let's get going. We need to move fast."

"Right."

Both men gave each other a small nod before they began sprinting down the street, heading in the direction of their one of a kind damsel in distress…

* * *

Meanwhile, Kagura and Sogo were still stuck alone in the girl's personal prison. Sogo was being completely silent, and staring off to the side. Kagura, on the other hand, was quickly growing irritated with his behavior. While she honestly would have loved for this sadist to leave her alone the entire time he was guarding her, she couldn't help but admit that his odd behavior was starting to get on her nerves.

_Why hasn't he said anything yet? _Kagura grumbled in her thoughts. _This sadist loves tormenting me, and I'm completely at his mercy in here…so why hasn't he made a move yet? This doesn't make any sense. I mean, just look at him, quietly standing over there acting all innocent. It's actually starting to piss me off…_

Just then, Sogo turned his head a little bit to stare at the girl. To her surprise, it almost seemed like he had a curious look in his eye.

Kagura immediately went on the defensive. "What the hell are you looking at, bastard?"

Sogo simply remained calm as he answered her. "You're under my watch, China. I _have _to keep an eye on you." Once he was done, Sogo looked away again.

For some reason, this only made Kagura angrier. "Hey, don't you turn away from me!"

Sogo just rolled his eyes at this. "Do you want me to stare at you or not? Make your choice, China."

His question caught Kagura off guard. "What? I-…Just leave me alone, damn it!"

"Fine," Sogo agreed, turning away again.

Kagura just clenched her teeth as she watched the boy. This guy truly pissed her off to no end. "Just what are you up to, you damn sadist!?"

Sogo gave a sigh. "I thought you just said that you wanted to be left alone…"

"Don't change the subject!" Kagura shouted. "Just answer the question! What are you up to!?"

Sogo crossed his arms as he gave her a blank stare. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm talking about your behavior!" Kagura barked at him. "Why have you been so quiet lately!? You're up to something, aren't you!?"

Sogo was silent for moment before he replied. "What about _your_ behavior?" he asked. "You've been acting strangely too, China."

Kagura also paused for a second. "What do you mean?"

Sogo just gave a sigh. "Well, if you really want to know, I guess the reason I've been rather…_quiet _recently is because...well, it's because I'm confused about your actions, China."

Kagura looked completely lost. "Huh?"

"You haven't been acting like your usual self," Sogo explained. "I mean, you've always been an annoying pest full of rage, but this…this is something different…"

Kagura just stared at him in silence. Despite his insults, she was curious to discover just what exactly he was trying to explain to her.

"I guess I just don't understand," Sogo continued quietly. "The China I know is a rude, arrogant, disgusting, and unpleasant hell of a girl. _But_, throughout all the time I've known her, I would never have expected her to attack somebody that she would refer to as a friend. Despite all of her shortcomings, she still had standards…or so I thought until now…Who knows? Maybe she's actually just insane, as I predicted…"

Kagura frowned while she gave him a weird look. She would never have expected that sadist to say something like this. It felt weird hearing him talk about her in a way that made her sound like an actually halfway-decent human being. Nevertheless, the things he said still bothered her, although in a way that she didn't quite expect.

Shaking his head, Sogo stared at the girl again. "I don't know," he said. "You're just not acting like your usual self China, and it's throwing me off a little bit…"

"I see," said Kagura sadly as she looked away. "Well, I don't really understand it either," she admitted. "But I do want to make up for it though."

Sogo simply raised an eyebrow at this. He remained silent.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this to you," Kagura mumbled as she rolled her eyes, "but, _please_, release me from this place. Tsukky is in danger, and I feel like I can help her. But I can't do that if I'm locked up in this room. Please, let me go, so I can go and save Tsukky…"

Sogo just stared at the Yato that was still chained to the wall. The sadist part of him immediately wanted to shut down her request with a malicious smile, but another part of him was speaking out against the idea, almost in her defense. Perhaps he actually sensed some truth behind the girl's words?

"You say that you want me to release you," he said quietly, "but, after everything you've done, how can I possibly trust you?"

Kagura paused for a second. Just as Hijikata had asked her to prove herself earlier, Sogo was now asking her to do the same. She had to find a way to prove to this sadist that she could be trusted. But how? How could this insane psychopath possibly convince he sadistic captor to set her free?

Kagura sighed. _I guess I'll just be honest with him…_

"Tsukky…is somebody very important to me," she said slowly. "And not only me, but she's very important to Gin-chan as well. In fact, I don't think he would ever admit it, but she probably means the world to him. He'd be lost without her, and so would I, honestly…"

Kagura then produced a small frown. "I have no idea why I attacked her like that. The whole thing is a mystery to me too. I'll admit that I was feeling a little angry with Tsukky at the time, but that would never change the way that I truly feel about her…"

Kagura paused as she glanced downward with a small smile. "Tsukky has been a good friend to me. And there have been times where I've even thought of her as more than that. As a matter of fact, sometimes, I almost think of her as a…a sister to me…"

Sogo immediately froze when he heard that word. "A sister?" he murmured.

Kagura just looked at him with a frown as her eyes started to water a little. "Yeah, so what? Are you going to make fun of me for saying that, or something?"

"Shut up," Sogo told her bluntly.

Kagura just glared at him before giving a sigh. "Look, I don't know why I lost my cool and attacked Tsukky like that last night, but I really do want to make it up to her, and tell her that I'm sorry. I feel awful right now, but I know that I would feel a hundred times worse if I ever found out that something happened to her because of the injuries I gave her…"

Kagura paused once more before looking the boy straight in the eye. "I know it might not mean much to a sadist like you, but…I'm asking this as a favor. _Please_, let me go save her…"

Sogo simply remained silent after Kagura finished. He took a moment to stare at her, his eyes full of an unusual curiosity. After doing a little thinking, he softly spoke up.

"This woman…does she really mean that much to you?"

Kagura paused for a second before giving a small nod. "Of course; I meant every word."

Sogo went silent again as he looked away. _Hmm…so she wants to go and save her sister figure, huh? Damn this China, making things way more complicated than they need to be. I'm supposed to be keeping this maniac locked up in here, but now she's trying to convince me to release her. And I can't believe it, but it's almost working…_

Sogo stopped thinking for a second as his eyes glazed over. _What would you do in this situation, Sis?_

Shaking his head, the young officer came back to his senses. He then placed a hand over his face. "I understand how you feel," he said quietly.

"What?" asked Kagura, sounding surprised. "You do!?"

Sogo gave a tiny nod before looking at the floor. "There have also been people in my life that I've wanted to protect, but I…"

Sogo suddenly cut himself off with another shake of his head. "Never mind," he mumbled.

Kagura just stared at him, completely lost. _What's up with him?_

Slowly looking back up at the girl, Sogo frowned. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…I _am_ willing to set you free."

Upon hearing this, Kagura's eyes widened. "What!? Seriously!?"

"That's right," said Sogo, still frowning. "However, I have some conditions that you must accept if you want me to go through with this."

Seeing her chance for freedom, Kagura quickly responded. "What are they?"

"First off, you must remain under my supervision at all times. I'm in charge of keeping an eye on you after all, so if you go off somewhere, I have no choice but to accompany you."

Kagura lightly clenched her teeth at this. She didn't really want the sadist tagging along with her, but she knew that she was in no position to be making demands. _Who knows? _she wondered. _Maybe he could actually be of some use to me…_

"Fine," she agreed. "What else?"

"Second, I still consider you a danger to that woman, and everyone else around you for that matter. If for even a single second I feel like you're going to go on a killing spree, I will immediately cut you down without question."

Kagura gulped a little at this, but still managed to give a nod. "I understand," she said. "Anything else?"

"Hmm," said Sogo, thinking hard. "You'll also have to crawl on all fours and carry me on your back wherever we go."

"HELL NO!" Kagura screamed. "What kind of stupid condition is that!?"

Sogo grinned at her behavior. "What's the matter? Don't you want to be freed?"

"Not if it involves being your stupid puppet," said Kagura distastefully.

Sogo lightly chuckled at his own sadism. He really amused himself sometimes. "Fine, just the first two conditions then."

"Hmph," Kagura pouted. "That's fine by me."

"Very well," said Sogo. Withdrawing from his spot against the wall, the boy produced a key and walked up to one of the metal spheres that was binding Kagura's limbs to the wall. He carefully inserted the key into a thin slit on one of the spheres and turned it. The sphere made a clicking sound and loosened its grip on Kagura's arm. The girl quickly withdrew it with ease.

"Ugh, feels stiff," she said, moving it around a little bit.

Sogo then went to hand her the key. "Here, I assume that you can finish unlocking the rest of your shackles."

Kagura slowly took the key from him. "And where are you going?"

"I'm going to find out where exactly we're heading," he informed her. "Unless you already thought ahead and know where Takasugi is keeping your friend."

Kagura felt a sweat drop slide down her forehead. "Er, good point…"

"Kondo-san should have reported his coordinates by now, so we'll just head there," Sogo explained as he went to leave the room. "Wait here, and I'll be back soon. After that, we can sneak out of this place, and start going after your friend."

"Sounds good," said Kagura as she went to free her other arm. "You know, you're not half-bad for a sadist."

"Oh really?" asked Sogo with a grin. "Well you're still the worst, China."

Sogo then gently closed the door behind him just as Kagura began screaming a number of curses at him…

* * *

"Have we finished landing?"

"Yes sir, and it seems that the Shinsengumi that were tailing us have already started gathering around the ship."

Takasugi merely grinned at the news. "Hmph, like moths drawn to a flame."

"Should we take any precautions against them, sir?" asked one of his men.

Takasugi slowly closed his eye as he brought his kiseru to his lips. "No, don't bother. We're not here to deal with them anyways."

"What if they try to make a move?" asked Takechi, who was standing nearby.

Takasugi paused as he blew some smoke into the air. "In that case, remind them that we have a hostage on board, and that we're not afraid to kill her. That should be enough to make them back off for now."

"Why are we here anyways?" asked Kamui, who was also in the control room and sounding bored.

Takechi just raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are _you _here, Kamui-dono?"

Kamui took a seat in a nearby chair before leaning forward and resting his head in his hands. "I don't know, I thought you guys were going off to do something exciting."

"We just came to the control room to check if the ship had finished landing," Takechi explained. "That's it."

"Really?" asked Kamui, frowning. "Well why didn't you tell me that before I followed you over here?"

"We did," said Takasugi bluntly.

"Oh…"

Takasugi simply smiled at the boy's ignorance. "Don't worry, Kamui. I know that you've been patiently waiting for some excitement, and I promise you'll get it soon. We just need to wait a little bit longer."

"Hmph," Kamui grunted as he shifted his head so that it was supported by only one hand. "Care to explain why we've landed in another forest clearing then? And this time we're surrounded by those policemen no less…"

Takasugi slowly inhaled and exhaled from his pipe. "Relax," he told the Yato. "We're just making a quick stop. Once our special guest arrives, then we'll be able to take off again."

"Our special guest?" repeated Kamui. The boy thought about the situation for a second before the realization came to him. "Ah, now I see…"

Takasugi simply grinned once more as he turned to one of the men in the control room. "Is the 'secret entrance' open for our guest?"

"Yes sir!" said the man. "It's ready to go!"

"Excellent," said Takasugi with a smirk. He then glanced at a monitor that sat overhead and watched as the Shinsengumi officers began to gather at the edge of the forest clearing. Takasugi simply continued grinning, not paying them any mind. His thoughts were already preoccupied with something else.

_The ball is in your court now, Gintoki…_

* * *

**Hi there! So, we're like one follower away from hitting 100…so I might as well have an early celebration! Woo! 20 months of writing, and 47 chapters later, and finally we hit 100 followers! Well, almost anyways XD But yeah, I'll inevitably get that one follower I need to take us to 100. I mean, it's not like it'll stay at 99 forever, right? It's gotta go up by at least one more. I mean, come on, I'd look like a complete idiot if it didn't hit 100! It'd be really embarrassing! But I need to calm down. There's no way that'll happen. Yeah, no way…**

**Anyways, thank you all so much for following, favoriting, and reviewing! The numbers are already way higher than I could have ever hoped for them to be, so thank you all so much for supporting my story. Which reminds me…I need to check where my story is placed in the Gintama Fanfiction rankings sometime! Maybe I'll do that for Chapter 50 ;) Although, one thing that I didn't notice about last time was that I accidently forgot to include M-rated stories in the rankings when I checked where mine stood! (Whoops!) So yeah, I'll have to fix that this time around. And of course, that means that my story actually ranked lower than I thought it did! How depressing -.-'**

**Although honestly, I really don't care that much! XD Anyways, let's just get on with my top ten favorite Gintama characters!**

**Number 7: Imai Nobume**

**Finally, a female character! XD In fact, Nobume easily fits right into my top 3 favorite female Gintama characters (the other two probably aren't hard to figure out) for many reasons, almost too many to list! Still, I like to keep this segment kind of brief, so let's just cover what I like. First off, Nobume is a total female badass, and I love that. I think that female characters need to be strong and self-dependent, and Nobume definitely represents that. Whether it comes to merciless killing, or playing kick the can, she can get the job done. By the way, speaking of kick the can, did I mention that Nobume actually has a heart? In reality, she's kind of a sweet girl, who just rarely shows her feelings (probably because she's too busy killing people XD). She genuinely cares for the people around her, especially Isaburo. She apparently even goes out of her way to reply to his texts, which is good for the guy XD Anyways, all this aside, Nobume is calm, cool, and serious, while at the same time being sweet, caring, and even a little bit playful. She's definitely a complex character, and I like that :) Also, I've always **_**loved **_**the way that she carries her sword. She's almost always holding it by the sheath in her hand, as if she's ready to draw it at any given moment. It's a simple characteristic, but I really like it! It just looks so cool! And of course, there's her past too. Nobume has clearly been through a lot. In the Farewell Shinsengumi Opening, do you see the way that she stares at that baby? All I can think is: **_**Daaammmnnn…**_

**And, above all else, Nobume is pretty cute, don't you think? ;)**

**Anyways, I think I've rambled on for way too long! This chapter is over! Please feel free to leave a review for it! Next chapter, we'll probably get to see some action :D Until then, goodbye!**


	48. Book 3 - Chapter 14

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 14

Gintoki silently peeked out from behind a tree and stared at the spacecraft that sat in front of him. _That's it _he thought. _That's Takasugi's ship…_

"Looks like we found it, eh Gin-san?" whispered Shinpachi from behind him.

Gintoki just gave a nod. He had actually been genuinely surprised at how easy it was. Once they had noticed an abnormal amount of Shinsengumi police cars hurtling off in one direction, all they had to do was stop one and demand to know where they were going. The poor officers coughed the information up before Gintoki even had a chance to torture them, not that he was disappointed or anything. On the contrary, he was glad to receive this information, and with it he easily managed to track down Takasugi's movements to this location.

"I wonder why he parked here in the middle of a forest," said Shinpachi, looking around. "The Shinsengumi have already started surrounding the ship. This can't be good for him."

"Nor for us," said Gintoki quietly. "Those bastards probably won't let us anywhere near the ship for fear of us interfering."

"Hmm, true," the boy agreed.

"Which means…we need to get in there as soon as possible before they cut off any access to it."

"But how?" asked Shinpachi, scanning the ship with his eyes. "I doubt they're just going to leave any doors open for us."

"Think again," said Gintoki, pointing at the ship.

Shinpachi followed his finger to see an open hatch on the side of the ship, plain as day, with nobody guarding it or standing inside of it. It was just a plain old empty hatch; a free gateway inside.

"This is such a trap," mumbled Shinpachi, his eyes drooping.

"So?" asked Gintoki, staring at the opening. "I thought that didn't matter to you."

"It doesn't," he replied honestly. "But it still worries me. Also, another thing, we don't have any weapons with us."

Gintoki just stared down at his empty hands. He no longer had his wooden sword with him; it had snapped in two while he was fighting Kagura. "No big deal," he said calmly. "They'll have weapons for us inside."

Shinpachi frowned. "Yeah, but they'll be in our enemies' hands, pointed at _us_ …"

"It's fine," Gintoki replied. "We'll figure something out."

"You're being way too calm about this!" Shinpachi shouted at him.

"Well, there's no use worrying about it," said Gintoki with a shrug. "Anyways, we might as well get moving."

Shinpachi just sighed. "Right, let's go."

Gintoki gave a nod, and then glanced at the nearby Shinsengumi. Once he was sure that their attention was focused in the opposite direction, the two of them made a break for it. They both ran straight towards the ship and jumped into the open hatchway. They then wasted no time in running down the hallway they found themselves in. Once they reached the end of it, they quickly turned a corner, only to stop dead in their tracks.

"Shit," Gintoki cursed.

Standing in front of them was a large horde of enemy samurai. They all looked rather menacing and carried weapons of various shapes and sizes. "Hmph, well that was easy," said one of them with a grin.

Shinpachi immediately went to turn around. "We have to go back!"

Gintoki instantly reached out and stopped him. "No, it's too late."

Glancing backwards in horror, Shinpachi realized that even more samurai were pouring in from the passage they had just entered from. They were now surrounded on both sides of the hallway.

"This is really bad!" the boy shrieked.

Gintoki just clenched his teeth and glared at the group in front of them.

Meanwhile, one of the men towards the front began laughing at the duo. "Man, these guys are stupid! They fell right into this simple trap! That's so pathetic!"

The rest of the men in the hallway gave a big laugh. Shinpachi nervously looked back and forth while Gintoki remained silent.

The man who had spoken up then pointed his katana at them. "I mean, look at them! They don't even have any-GRAH!"

At that moment, Gintoki had moved forward to punch the man in the face. As the terrorist flew backwards, Gintoki snatched up his sword. With a fire burning in his eyes, Gintoki proceeded to cut down two more men before they could even react.

Shinpachi simply watched in awe. He only ended up snapping out of it when Gintoki called his name.

"Shinpachi!" he shouted, throwing him another sword that he had swiped.

Shinpachi quickly grasped it by the hilt and wasted no time in using it. Running up to join his boss, the two of them began swinging wildly at their enemies. Samurai after samurai fell before them while the group to their rear struggled to catch up. The initial attack had apparently taken everyone by surprise.

"Shinpachi, I'm going to cut us a path!" Gintoki shouted. "Can you cover the rear!?"

"This is no time to be making butt jokes!" Shinpachi screamed back.

"Wha…?" mumbled Gintoki, cutting down another enemy. "This isn't a joke!"

Shinpachi, being the straight man, took a second to pause. "Oh…sorry…it's just so hard to take you serious sometimes…"

"Well I am being serious! And pay attention!" he warned, saving the boy from an unexpected attacker with a thrust. "Can you do what I asked!?"

"Of course!" Shinpachi replied, whipping around. "Just leave it to me! I'll cover your rear!"

"Close enough!" Gintoki shouted back. Wasting no time, he proceeded to cut down every man that appeared in front of him, sometimes even taking two or more out with one slash. Glaring straight ahead, he persisted in pushing forward. He was going to make them a path, even if he had to do it entirely through brute force.

Shinpachi in the meantime made every effort to keep up with Gintoki while at the same time keeping the horde behind them at bay. He mostly focused on blocking attacks, but took the opportunity to strike back when necessary. The hallway wasn't all that wide to begin with, so the confined space greatly limited the enemies' movements. Thanks to that, Shinpachi was able to avoid having them all come at him at the same time.

"Almost there!" shouted Gintoki, nearing the end of the horde. Suddenly getting an idea, he stabbed one of the terrorists through the chest, and then hoisted him into the air with his sword. Using all of his strength and screaming loudly, Gintoki used the man's body as a battering ram of sorts, and harshly forced his way through the last of the enemies. In the ensuing chaos, bodies went flying everywhere.

"Come on, Shinpachi!" he shouted, running ahead.

"Right!" the boy shouted back, turning away from his enemies and chasing after him. The remaining horde quickly tried to readjust itself and follow in their footsteps. They had a hard time of it though, and ended up lagging quite some ways behind. Nevertheless, they still chased after the intruders, doing their best to put a stop to them.

Taking a second to look back at them, Gintoki grinned. "Thanks for covering my rear back there," he told his employee. "You really saved my _ass_."

Shinpachi just smiled at this. "Shut up," he told him. "I thought you said that this wasn't the time for jokes."

Gintoki smirked. "Hmph, it's not."

Sure enough, the two of them turned a corner only to find another horde of enemies waiting for them. Raising their swords, the two men went to attack once more…

* * *

"Is this really the best way in, China?"

"Of course, they'd never expect us to come in from here."

"Hmm…maybe I should have just joined up with the rest of the Shinsengumi down there…"

"Hey, if you don't like it, then you can leave! I don't need you here babysitting me!"

"Hey, keep it down! They'll hear us…"

Kagura and Sogo had found themselves in another argument upon arriving at the site of Takasugi's ship. The Yato girl had wasted no time in scaling the spacecraft, eventually ending up on the roof. And the young Shinsengumi officer, having no choice but to follow her, did just that. The two of them now currently stood atop the spacecraft, looking for a way in.

"So how exactly are we going to enter from the roof?" asked Sogo skeptically. "I don't exactly see a chimney around here…"

"Well of course not, dummy," Kagura spat at him. "Here, we'll just use this," she said, gesturing down to her feet.

Sogo looked where she was pointing, and found a small square window that appeared to function as a skylight for the ship. "A window, eh?" he asked, walking up to it.

"That's right," she replied.

"Hmm," mumbled Sogo, looking closely at the window. "I don't think that there's a way to open it, though."

"Not a problem," said Kagura, lifting her foot. She immediately brought it back down on the window, smashing it to pieces. "There, now it's open."

"I see," Sogo replied, mildly surprised. "Well, I guess we might as well jump in before someone notices us."

Kagura nodded. "Right."

"Ladies first," insisted Sogo, going out of his way to shove Kagura into the freshly broken window. The Yato girl simply threw him a glare before landing on her feet.

"What the hell was that for, you bastard!?"

Sogo soon jumped in after her, also landing on his feet. "Hey, keep it down would you? We're not here to attract attention; we're here to rescue your friend."

Kagura was about to continue her shouting, but instead chose to hold back. Swallowing her pride for the sake of her friend, she just gave a sigh. "You're right," she admitted. "We should try and stay hidden if possible. Let's just try and find out where they're keeping Tsukky so we can get her out of here."

Sogo just glanced at her before shrugging. "Fine."

After that, the two of them began running down the hallway that they had found themselves in after breaking in. Hoping that nobody would discover the mess of broken glass on the floor, they left it behind. They continued moving silently from hallway to hallway, checking around corners when necessary. Eventually, they stopped upon discovering a large room. The two of them hid behind the corner while they observed it.

"What's that?" Kagura whispered.

"Hmm," said Sogo, glancing at it. "I'm not too familiar with spacecrafts, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's the control room."

"Oh," said Kagura, her eyes widening a bit. "So this is where they fly the ship from?"

"Presumably," he replied. "They probably also monitor all ship activity from here. If there are cameras in these hallways, this is where the feed would transmit to."

"So they might already know that we're here?"

"Possibly…"

"Tch," said Kagura, clenching her teeth. "I'll bet they know where Tsukky is. We should go in there and see what we can find out." She immediately moved towards the room.

"Wait, what!?" whispered Sogo. "We can't go in there! They'll know we're here!"

Kagura shrugged. "They might already know that anyway. You said so yourself." Without waiting another second, the girl slipped into the room. Sogo just gave a sigh before he ran over and slipped in after her.

Upon arriving inside, the two of them found themselves at the back of the room. All the personnel inside were currently focusing their attention away from them. They were too busy watching what was happening on their monitors. Taking their opportunity, Kagura and Sogo chose to hide themselves in a dark corner.

"Man, there's a lot of computer screens in here," said Kagura, scanning the room. "Do you think one of them will show Tsukky's location?"

"Maybe," said Sogo, also looking around. "Do you see any-"

Sogo immediately cut his words short as a ringing sound went off. It sounded a bit like a telephone.

"Ah, it's Takasugi-san," said one of the control room workers.

"He must want a report," said another.

Sogo and Kagura just kept silent as they looked at each other. They tried to listen in as the workers answered the call.

"Yes sir," the worker replied. "Yes, that's right…"

"I can't hear what the other guy is saying," Kagura complained as she perked up her ears.

"Shh," Sogo told her. "Listen…"

"Our guest?" the worker asked. "Yes, he is still running through the halls…No, he actually brought one other person with him…Yes, it's just the two of them. The Shiroyasha and his samurai apprentice I presume…"

"The Shiroyasha!?" Sogo whispered. "The _boss _is here!?"

"What?" Kagura cried. "Gin-chan!?"

"No, our hordes of soldiers didn't work," the worker continued. "It seems the Shiroyasha simply diced them up…Yeah, it's not really a surprise…Hang on, let me pull it up on the monitor…"

A second later, an image of Gintoki and Shinpachi appeared on the big screen at the front of the room. The two of them were still running away from their enemies and cutting them down when necessary. Kagura just watched the monitor with wide eyes.

_Gin-chan? Shinpachi? You guys…are here too?_

Shaking her head, Kagura cleared her thoughts._ Duh, of course they are. They must have come here to save Tsukky, just like I did…And Tsukky is only in this situation because of what I did to her. Ugh, what a mess…_

"All right, his exact location," the worker continued with his report. "Let's see…Right now, he's running down hallway B on the second floor towards-"

Kagura tuned him out as she turned towards Sogo. She simply gave a him a frown as she looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry," she said.

Sogo just gave her a confused look. "Huh?" he whispered.

Kagura didn't respond. Instead, she rose to her feet, and leapt out of her hiding place and into a walkway between desks. She then jumped again, this time heading for the giant monitor.

"What do you bastards…"

She placed her legs together, and aimed her feet at the screen.

"…THINK THAT YOU'RE DOING!?"

As the screen exploded in a shower of electric sparks, the whole room gaped in astonishment. Even Sogo didn't know what was going on. _What are you doing, you insane bitch!? _he cried in his head.

"What the hell was that?" screamed one of the men.

"Someone destroyed the monitor!" yelled another.

"With…a drop kick…?"

Kagura slowly rose out of the wreckage of what was once the large monitor at the front of the room. She then brushed herself off before glancing around the room with a grin. "You got that right."

Sogo could only clench his teeth in frustration as he watched this. _What the hell does that idiot think she's doing!? This wasn't part of the plan!_

"Who the hell are you!?" asked several of the crewmen.

Kagura simply cracked her knuckles. "Just some teenager with a bad temper."

Before anyone could ask her another question, Kagura sprung into action. She instantly became a whirlwind of chaos within the control room. Heads were knocked into heads; fists flew into faces. Everyone immediately began running and shouting, not quite sure what to do. They weren't fighters after all, just pilots.

"What do you want from us!?" screamed one of the men in terror.

"I came to collect my fee," said Kagura coolly as she kicked a computer aside. "There's hell to pay."

"For what!?" asked another man, crying in the corner.

Kagura just grunted as she lifted a computer over her head. "If you thought I was just going to sit here and let you spy on my friends…you've got another thing coming!" The rampaging girl then threw the computer into a desk, and the whole thing surprisingly went up in flames.

"This girl is insane!"

"Let's get out of here!"

The crewmen who were not yet knocked out began making a break for the exit. However, just as they were about to escape, a young man stepped out to stop them. He immediately drew his sword and cut down the first couple of pilots that stood before him. The swordsman then gave a sigh.

"I understand what you're trying to do here, China, but don't you think that it would have been better if we had just stayed hidden?"

"What's the matter?" asked Kagura, kicking another man across the room. "I can't do Gin-chan a favor?"

Sogo just shrugged as he pointed his sword at the men in front of him. "Destroying their intel will only do so much for him. The boss is still going to have to figure most of this out by himself."

"What are you talking about?" grunted Kagura, destroying more and more technology. "I'm just getting started. As soon as I'm done here, I'll go lend him a hand!"

Sogo simply rolled his eyes. "Tch, so naïve…"

"_zzzt_…Say, what's going on in there?"

The whole room seemed to go silent for a second upon hearing a new voice. Kagura and Sogo weren't quite sure what to make of it at first, but the crewmen immediately knew what was happening. One of them quickly snatched up the nearby transceiver.

"Takasugi-san! Intruders in the control room!"

* * *

Takasugi raised an eyebrow at this report and smiled slightly. "Intruders?" he purred.

"That's right!" the crewman shouted back. "There's some crazy strong girl raising hell in here! I think she might be a Yato!"

Takasugi's eye widened in surprise upon hearing this. "A Yato girl, you say?"

"Yes sir! She's attacked most of the men, and the room is a wreck too. There's also another-"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU BASTAAAARD!?"

"AHHH!"

Static…and then, silence…

Takasugi looked at the transceiver with mild surprise before gently setting it back down. He then managed to smile to himself once more. "Well, this is unexpected. Kagura is on board too, is she?"

* * *

**And here's another chapter completed! Finally! I'm sorry that it it ended up taking so long for such a short chapter. Life and laziness have been keeping me busy XD Anyways, at least there's some action in this one! And by the way, thank you to all who wrote reviews for me recently. They were lovely :)**

**Other than that, I don't think there's too much to talk about here. The chapter was pretty straightforward. Let's just go ahead and continue with my top ten favorite Gintama characters!**

**Number 6: Hijikata Toshiro**

**It's weird, Hijikata used to be a lot higher on my list, but lately he seems to keep dropping lower and lower. It's not because of anything he did; I just realized that I happened to like a lot of other characters more. But I still love Hijikata though! He's basically the Roronoa Zoro of Gintama! And I love Zoro! The typical silent badass swordsman; you can't go wrong with that :) Aside from that, I really love Hijikata for his loyalty. His devotion to his chief is nothing but admirable. Even if his boss is a weird stalker gorilla-esque loser, Hijikata still loves and respects him with everything he has. He even stayed loyal to Mitsuba (I'm assuming) after all those years they spent apart. I also really like Hijikata's seriousness, as it usually plays very well with the rest of the Gintama cast. In most cases, he even acts as a foil to Gintoki, which leads to some really hilarious scenes XD All in all, Hijikata is just one hell of an awesome dude. (And also my favorite Shinsengumi member!)**

**Well, I think that's about enough from me. Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! Next chapter, Takasugi makes a move! Please look forward to it! See you then!**


	49. Book 3 - Chapter 15

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 15

After the transmission cut out, the room went silent. The core members of the Kiheitai were all trying to get a good grasp on the situation at hand. Takasugi himself just placed his kiseru on his lips before staring off to the side.

"Man, it sounds like they're raising hell in here," said Kamui with a thoughtful smile.

"What should we do now, Shinsuke-sama?" asked Matako, ignoring the Yato. The rest of the room quickly followed suit and turned towards Takasugi, awaiting orders.

Takasugi took a moment to reply. "I have a plan," he said, slowly exhaling smoke through his lips. "It should be pretty easy," he noted.

"What is it?" asked Kamui, ready for action.

Takasugi briefly flashed a grin. "We're just going to capture the intruders. Simple as that."

"That's it?" asked Abuto, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right. This was actually my plan from the beginning. Now that we've lured Gintoki here, all we have to do is go and seize him and his little friend. Aside from that, we'll capture Kagura as well. I'll admit that I wasn't counting on her showing up, but she shouldn't be too much trouble to handle as long as she's on her own."

The room went silent once more as they digested the plan that Takasugi had just presented them with. Before too long, Bansai spoke up. "And how are we to go about this?"

Takasugi slowly rose to his feet before putting his kiseru away. "We'll split into two teams. Kamui, Bansai, and Matako will go after Gintoki. It should be fairly easy, since he has already fallen for our trap. Just use whatever method you think would be best for detaining him. Meanwhile, Abuto, Takechi, and I will go after Kagura. Fortunately, I already have a plan for dealing with her. We'll round them all up and have them tossed in our prison in no time. Any questions?"

"Do I really have to work with that guy?" asked Matako, pointing at Kamui.

Takasugi gave a small sigh. "You're all more than capable of handling this task, so I trust that you will."

Kamui just smiled at this. "Guess you're stuck with me, sweetheart."

Matako just clenched her teeth before she barked back at him. "Fine! But if that's the case, Bansai-senpai and I will be the ones coming up with the capture plan!"

Kamui simply crossed his arms with another smile. "Fine by me."

"Great," said Takasugi, turning to leave. "Gintoki should be near the location they reported before the transmission cut out. As for us, we'll search for Kagura near the control room. Everybody got it? All right, let's move out…"

* * *

Another tiny explosion went off in the control room as Kagura tossed monitor after monitor at the wall. This girl was going on an absolute rampage. Most of the technology that had been in the control room was now either smashed to pieces or up in flames. The damage and destruction alone was ironically worthy of praise from the terrorists she was attacking.

Meanwhile, Sogo was still keeping most of the pilots at a standstill. A lot of them were too afraid to confront the boy blocking the exit with his sword, and those that weren't had already been cut down.

"What are we supposed to do!?" one of the pilots cried desperately.

"We're going to die!" cried another.

"Oh, quit your whining," Sogo told them coldly. "How many lives have you terrorists taken? Whether it be directly or indirectly, you're still responsible for a lot of murder and destruction. And now the time has come for you to pay for your sins."

"I'm sorry!" one of the pilots screamed. "Don't kill me!"

"I don't want to die!"

"WHO CARES!?" someone yelled from behind them. As it turned out, it was Kagura, and she appeared to be creating chaos yet again. This time, she was kicking and punching the pilots aside in order to clear a path. "Just get out of the way!" she shouted angrily. "I'm leaving!"

Sogo just lowered his sword as he watched this. "Finally done ripping the place apart, China?"

"This room is trashed," she grunted. "I'm moving on."

"GRAAAH!" the men yelled as they were tossed every which way. Kagura was apparently wasting no time in making her exit. As for Sogo, he simply turned away and stepped out into the hallway. There was no need to keep the pilots contained anymore. It wasn't long before Kagura leapt out of the room and joined him.

"Man, what a pain," she said, wiping some blood off of her face.

"Tired already?" asked Sogo condescendingly.

"Not even close," she replied.

"Good, because it looks like the guards around here are finally catching onto us…"

Sure enough, a line of Kiheitai swordsmen were now charging down the hallway towards them. "Oh great, more fun," said Kagura with a smile.

Before long she had jumped right back into another fight, and she was sending bodies flying just as easily as before. This time, Sogo actually backed her up, and cut down several enemies himself. The two of them honestly made a good fighting duo when they worked together.

At some point, Sogo called out to his partner while he fought. "Hey China! We broke in and made a ruckus, but tell me something! What's our goal now!?"

Kagura didn't take long to answer. "To find Gin-chan or Tsukky. Doesn't matter which."

Sogo took a second to consider this while he expertly cut down an enemy. "We already know where the boss is," he told her. "We saw him on the monitor, remember?"

"So we should look for him first?" asked Kagura, kicking some guy's face in.

"On the contrary, we should look for your hostage friend. After all, finding the boss won't help us find your friend. We should probably make her our number one priority."

Kagura swiftly dodged a wild sword as she considered this. "I see, that makes sense. Let's look for Tsukky then."

"Well now, that's going to be a problem," Sogo noted. "We're going to have a hard time finding her, since _somebody _already destroyed the control room."

"Oh, bite me," Kagura replied as she tossed one samurai into another. "We'll just find another way."

"Like how, exactly?" asked Sogo, cutting down more and more enemies. Before long, there was only one left standing.

"Like this," said Kagura, quickly snatching up the last survivor and forcing him against the wall. "Where do you keep your prisoners!?" she demanded.

The terrorist simply clenched his teeth. "Like I'd tell you, stupid bitch…"

"Wrong answer," Kagura growled before kneeing him in the stomach. The man immediately dropped to the floor, completely unconscious.

Sogo just sighed. "So much for that."

Kagura simply cracked her knuckles in response. "We'll find more. Let's go." She immediately took off while Sogo decided to stay behind. He took a moment to inspect the terrorist's unconscious body. He quickly searched it up and down, turning out pockets and the like.

"Perhaps you have a map of the ship or something? Come on…" After a few more seconds of rummaging, he sighed in resignation. He then stood back up with a frown. "Hmph, I guess you grunts were too low to actually hold any crucial information. We'll have to search for someone higher up to get the answers we need." He then glanced down the hallway. "And China is…gone again. Go figure. I guess I should head after her before she gets into more trouble."

Without another word, the samurai ran off down the hall, following in Kagura's footsteps. It was not long, however, before he ran into another group of samurai. This division was smaller than the one that preceded it, but it quickly swarmed the rogue Shinsengumi officer. Sogo just raised his sword up in mild surprise. _Didn't they run into China? _he wondered. _They must have missed her somehow. Oh well, I guess they're my problem now. Damn it…_

Meeting the attackers head on, Sogo sliced the first line of men right across the stomach…

* * *

"Where'd that damn sadist go?" Kagura grunted as she slammed an oncoming enemy into the wall. Little did she know, she had accidently left him behind in her rush to find Tsukky. Not that it mattered though, as she was easily clearing through another wave of enemies. She managed to knock all of them out with simple kicks and punches. These humans were apparently too weak to handle the full strength of a determined Yato teenager.

However, just as Kagura shoved the last terrorist's face into the floor, a voice called out to her. "Ah, so there you are," it said. It had come from the end of the hallway, where another hallway intersected through it. Kagura quickly turned around to find a man standing there at the intersection, holding a pipe up to his lips.

"You've made a real mess, haven't you?" asked Takasugi with a grin.

Kagura just froze as she stared at him. She vaguely recognized this man. It had been long before, back when she had invaded an enemy ship during the Benizakura crisis. She had stood face to face with him right before his underlings had captured her. It was all coming back to her now. His long dark hair. His purple kimono. His wicked smile. And his name…

Kagura glared at him. "You're Takasugi, right?"

Takasugi fondly continued smiling at her. "That's correct. And you're Kagura, I presume?"

Kagura didn't respond, but instead clenched her teeth. _He knows my name…_

Takasugi calmly acknowledged her silence with a nod before reaching into his kimono and retrieving his kiseru. He then casually lit it, as if he were unafraid of the Yato that stood a short distance away from him. This only managed to piss Kagura off.

"So you're the one who captured Tsukky?" she asked, trying to gather her thoughts.

"You mean Tsukuyo?" he asked pleasantly. "Oh yeah, I've got her."

Kagura clenched her teeth once more. This guy's nonchalant attitude was truly making her blood boil. Why wasn't he taking her seriously? Did he honestly believe that the distance between them was enough to keep him safe from an unexpected attack? Kagura considered all of this with a glare.

"Where is Tsukky?" she demanded.

Takasugi slowly exhaled from his pipe before staring at her. "Can't say."

Kagura decided to take a threatening step forward. "_Tell me_," she breathed.

Takasugi simply grinned at her once more. "Foolish girl. If you want to know where Tsukuyo is, you'll have to come and beat it out of me."

The moment he was finished speaking, Kagura took a deep breath. "Easy enough," she whispered. In the instant that followed after that, Kagura pounced towards the man. Arms outstretched like claws, she closed the distance between them immediately. However, just as she was about to attack, a shadow off to the right caught her eye. Eyes widening in fear, she already knew it was too late.

Abuto jumped out from the right hallway and slammed his fist right into the back of Kagura's neck. The girl immediately fell to the floor and landed on all fours. Grunting in pain, she saw another shadow dart out from the left. This time it was the lolicon, Takechi, and he was holding a pair of handcuffs. Wasting no time, he dove down and clamped them on the girl's ankles. Takasugi merely grinned as he watched this all happen.

Meanwhile, Kagura was beginning to panic. She had already realized her mistake. She had been goaded into this sneak attack, and the situation was getting worse by the second. Trying her best to recover, she managed to get back on her feet. She tried to swing at the nearby lolicon, but he ducked out of the way. Tripping over her own feet due to the newly placed handcuffs, Kagura lost her balance and began falling forward.

_Can't I break those things!? _she wondered desperately as she fell to the floor. It was too late to try though, because Abuto was already right back on top of her. With graceful ease, the experienced Yato kicked the girl back-first into a nearby wall. Wincing in pain, Kagura slid down to the floor.

Before she knew it, the lolicon was back again with a second pair of handcuffs. This time, he slapped them on her wrists. Now with both arms and legs confined, movement was nearly impossible. The struggle was over; Kagura had lost.

Smiling in victory, Abuto walked over and rested the bottom of his boot on the top of Kagura's head. He then leaned over her. "Man, that was almost _too_ easy."

Kagura just clenched her teeth as she tried to break the handcuffs with her superhuman strength. Needless to say, it didn't work. _Damn it! I just completely fell for their trap! How could I be so stupid!?_

Takechi just crossed his arms as he looked down at the immobilized girl. "So what do we do with her now, Shinsuke-dono?"

Takasugi, as always, just grinned while he exhaled from his pipe. "Let's go ahead and agree to her request. Go take her to where Tsukuyo is."

* * *

Sogo's eyes widened as he retracted his head from around the corner. He didn't think that anybody had noticed him. Waiting for a moment, he took a deep breath before peeking around the corner once more. The adjacent hallway was littered with unconscious bodies, and at the end of it stood Takasugi and his crew. As Sogo continued watching, Abuto went ahead and threw Kagura over his shoulder. The three men then walked off in another direction, taking the girl with them.

_Damn it, China _he cursed. _Why can't you think anything through?_

Sogo retracted his head once more with a sigh. He then reconsidered his options. After he had finished dealing with the small wave of enemies from before, he ran down the path that Kagura had taken. When he had started to near the hallway that she was in, he ended up stopping in his tracks. He heard two voices speaking from that hallway, and that had caught his attention. Playing it cautiously, he had simply glanced around the corner just in time to watch Kagura's failed attempt at an attack. And after a few seconds, she had been easily captured. Now Sogo was on his own to decide what to do next.

_I don't think I can go after her _he thought with a frown. _Takasugi is too dangerous, and that other guy is a Yato. That would be too much for me to handle alone. Even if I chose to lay low and tail them, I'd run the risk of getting discovered by one of the numerous guards passing by…So what should I do now?_

_Hmm…the control room should be completely out of commission at this point. That means that they won't be able to track where I am unless they spot me. Which means…_

Sogo took a second to glance down the hallway. He wanted to make sure that he wasn't being watched.

_It means that I have two options at this point. I can either move on alone or go into hiding._

Sogo rested a hand on his chin as he considered this. _Moving on alone would require overcoming all other obstacles by myself. I could try and find the boss or his woman, but I have no idea where to look. And it would be too risky to try. This is honestly too much for me to handle alone…I'm not even that involved with these Odd Jobs people anyway…_

_On the other hand, going into hiding would allow me to lay in wait so that I can strike at the best opportunity. If they don't know where I am, I can choose to make a surprise attack whenever I want. I could even help the boss if he comes by, or I could possibly even find a way to free China and her friend. It all just comes down to the timing…_

Making up his mind, Sogo walked over to a nearby door. _Yes, I have to admit it. Remaining hidden is the best option at this point. Sorry boss and China, but that's what I'm going to do for now._

Sogo slowly opened the door to find a small janitor's closet. Amongst the mops, brooms, and cleaning products, there was no one to be found inside. It was unmanned.

_Perfect…_

* * *

"Gin-san, they just keep coming!"

"Then just keep swinging..."

Gintoki and Shinpachi were currently battling through another horde of enemies while some from before were still catching up behind them. With the two of them swinging wildly, more and more enemies fell at their feet as they ran. They hardly stopped for more than a few seconds when they fought someone, as they insisted on moving forward. Needless to say, this situation was a little too intense for the two of them to handle.

"We can't keep running like this!" Shinpachi shouted amongst the noise. "We'll have to fight them at some point!"

"Ugh, fine!" Gintoki shouted back. Whirling around, he sliced open several enemies at once in a wide arc. He then proceeded to retrace his steps with each new slash, attacking several enemies that had once previously stood at his back. His unexpected assault and his breakneck speed had taken them all by surprise.

Even Shinpachi was a little stunned by the sudden change in plans. Also turning around, he followed behind Gintoki in an effort to clear out some of the enemies behind them. Fortunately, there hadn't been that many enemies in front of them to begin with, so they could solely focus on clearing their backside without too much worry about getting closed in.

And that was exactly what Gintoki did. He consistently swung his sword back and forth, and blood flew everywhere. It seemed that nobody could stop this rampaging Shiroyasha.

"I'll finish the lot of you!" he screamed ferociously. All of the terrorists simply cowered in fear. They knew that they were outmatched. And Gintoki, seeing this, did not waste this opportunity. He pounced on them, sword raised…

"Stand aside."

All of a sudden, the group of terrorists was divided in half by someone who had stepped to the front. He quickly raised his sword and blocked Gintoki's incoming attack. Gintoki's eyes widened in surprise. He had not been expecting someone to stop him so easily…

"Did you believe that you were invincible, Shiroyasha?" asked Bansai with a frown.

Gintoki clenched his teeth as he recognized the musician. "You…"

"Recognize me, do you?" Bansai immediately drew his sword back as Gintoki landed on the floor. Their blades then met in a small series of clashes with neither side besting the other. Bansai truly was a worthy opponent.

"Gin-san!" Shinpachi cried out, trying to run to his boss's aid. He didn't make it very far though, before someone else approached him from behind. The newcomer swiftly delivered a blow to the back of Shinpachi's neck. The poor boy quickly collapsed as he lost consciousness.

Gintoki's and Bansai's swords met with a loud clang. Gintoki glanced back in the boy's direction. "Shinpachi, what's going-"

Gintoki froze as he realized who was standing behind him. Smiling in triumph, the newcomer lifted Shinpachi up by the back of his shirt. He then held the boy out in front of him as if he were some sort of prize.

"Hey Gintoki. Long time no see."

Gintoki clenched his teeth in frustration. "Kamui…"

Forcing his sword harder against Bansai's, Gintoki twisted around to get a better look at the Yato. To be honest, he wasn't too surprised to see him. After hearing Katsura's warning, Gintoki had been more than prepared to accept the possibility of meeting him. And at this moment, seeing Kamui hold up Shinpachi's unconscious body with a smile only managed to fill Gintoki with rage.

"Let him go," he muttered in the boy's direction.

"Ah, sorry, can't do that," he said, lightly jostling Shinpachi up and down. "Shinsuke's orders."

Gintoki glared at him. "Bastards, the both of you…"

Kamui snickered a little. "What's that have to do with anything?"

Gintoki just ignored him. Memories of their last fight were already flashing before his eyes. Images of a broken and bloody Tsukuyo began to resurface. This only made him worry about her current situation even more. Gintoki's breathing intensified with rage while his voice dropped to a whisper.

"Do you remember the last warning I gave you after our fight?"

Kamui grinned as he lowered Shinpachi. "Of course I do. You said that you wouldn't hesitate to kill me if you ever saw me again. Isn't that right? Well then, if that's the case, tell me something…what's the hold up, huh?"

Gintoki couldn't take it any longer. This entire situation was blinding him with rage. "I'm going to kill you…"

Kamui raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Gintoki shoved Bansai away as he whipped back around to face the boy. He then charged at him, sword raised. "I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT N-"

_Bang! _Like Shinpachi, Gintoki was hit from behind. Right in the back of his neck. Kamui simply sidestepped out of the way while Gintoki fell flat on the floor. Gintoki didn't know what was going on. He tried his hardest to move, but couldn't. His body was paralyzed.

"What's…going…on?" he asked, glaring up at Kamui.

"Wow, that was pathetic," the Yato replied with a smile. He then looked away from him. "Hey, thanks a lot, sweetheart. He almost got me there."

Slowly stepping out of the shadows, Matako lowered her gun. She then threw a disgusted look in Kamui's direction. "If you don't stop calling me that, _you're_ going to be the one that gets shotnext."

Bansai calmly walked up to Gintoki while issuing out commands to the remaining terrorists. "All of you go get the wounded treated. After that's done, you can assume your usual positions. As for you, Shiroyasha, you'll be coming with us. Shinsuke has already prepared a nice little place for you."

As Kamui took the liberty of lifting Gintoki off the floor, Matako reached over and pulled the small needle-like object out of Gintoki's neck. "This is a small dose," she told Bansai. "He'll only be paralyzed for about an hour."

"That's more than enough time. Let's get him out of here."

"And where are we taking him?" asked Kamui as he gleefully lifted both men up in the air.

"You already know where Shinsuke wants him," said Bansai coolly as his sunglasses glinted in the hallway light. "Take him to Tsukuyo."

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry for another delayed update. Stuff happens. I'm lazy. You know the whole ordeal by now XD**

**As for the chapter, I have a few notes on Kamui that I want to discuss. First off, him calling Matako "sweetheart". Yeah, it doesn't really mean anything XD I just had him say that as a way to piss her off. I honestly think that Kamui would get a real kick out of it for some reason. That's just how he is. Although, now that I think about it, I feel like Kamui and Matako might actually make a nice couple. It probably won't happen in my story, but someone should definitely go write a fanfiction on it. Get back to me when that happens XD**

**Aside from that, my other note is about Kamui's response to Gintoki calling him a bastard. He says "What's that have to do with anything?" simply because…well, he is one and he knows it! XD Yeah, I'm recalling the instance where Kagura heavily suggested that her parents got married because Kamui was conceived (which is absolutely hilarious XD). And if she knows about that, then Kamui probably does too. And I think he's okay with that. He'd much rather laugh it off then get offended by it, don't you think? So that's why he responded the way he did. He simply acknowledged his illegitimacy and laughed. Classic Kamui XD**

**But anyways, enough about Kamui! Let's get back to my top ten favorite Gintama characters! We're now down to the top five! Here we go:**

**Number 5: Kamui**

**Wait, didn't I just say that we were done talking about Kamui? Well guess what, I lied! It's Kamui's time, people! The year of Kamui! Yeah! Woo!**

**Er, anyways…let me explain why I love him so much. First off, he's absolutely crazy. He'll kill someone for little to no reason, and he'll smile while he does it. He even says that he wants to send people off "with a smile". What an insane bastard! However, at the same time, he's really laid-back and easygoing. He doesn't let much bother him, and usually just goes with the flow. That's so cool! He's so badass! He's strong! He's **_**scary**_**! I almost feel like he's unpredictable sometimes. And it is for all of these reasons that he's one of my favorite villains in all of anime and manga. His crazy yet simple mindset is just so loveable! I can't help it; every time I see Kamui, I get hyped! Aside from all of this, he does have a really good backstory with Umibozu, Kagura, and Hosen. There's a lot of conflict and hurt there, but he still manages to smile like the mentally insane pirate he is. Oh, by the way, he wants to be the Pirate King. Honestly, how can you not love this guy!? Oh Kamui, I hope your smile never fades…Keep on killing people, just for me! Thanks! :)**

**Anyways, that's enough out of me. Please feel free to leave a review if you wanna and go ahead and look forward to the next chapter. Next time is chapter 50! Wow, we're almost there! Until then, people!**


	50. Book 3 - Chapter 16

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 16

Tsukuyo was still sitting alone in her dark prison cell. Frowning to herself, she decided to glance over her body once more. The bandages that covered her honestly looked worse for wear. She suspected that they should probably be changed soon, but in her current position, there would be no way of doing that. It didn't help that any time she attempted to move, her body ached in pain.

_This situation couldn't be much worse _she thought glumly to herself.

Just then, the door at the end of the room opened up, and light flooded inside. Squinting in its direction, Tsukuyo tried to see who was coming in this time. To her surprise, it was the Yato subordinate of Kamui, Abuto.

Tsukuyo immediately pressed her face against the prison bars in order to get a better look at him. "Hey, it's you!" she shouted.

Abuto barely glanced at her. "Hey," he said casually. He then ignored Tsukuyo as he took the liberty of unlocking the prison cell right next to hers. It was at this point that Tsukuyo suddenly noticed that the man had something slumped over his shoulder. Once the cell door was open, Abuto wasted no time in hurling the thing inside. As it hit the floor, Tsukuyo immediately recognized what it was. Or rather, _who _it was.

_What is she doing here!? _Tsukuyo wondered in complete shock. She honestly couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing.

Meanwhile, Abuto went ahead and locked the cell back up before heading for the exit. He soon closed the door behind him, plunging the room back into its original dim lighting. After this happened, the newcomer stirred for the first time since arriving.

"Ugh, where am I?" asked Kagura groggily. Apparently, she had been knocked out at some point on the way over here. The girl soon tired to sit up, but the handcuffs tied around her wrists and ankles made it difficult. _Oh yeah _she remembered. _They got me…_

"Kagura?" a voice called out from next to her.

The girl immediately turned to her left, only to find Tsukuyo staring at her through a set of iron bars. The girl's face immediately lit up in surprise. "Ah, Tsukky! There you are! I was wondering where you were!"

Tsukuyo just remained silent as she frowned. She wasn't quite sure how to approach this situation.

Kagura on the other hand, soon inched her way over to the bars. "I've finally found you! I can't believe-"

Kagura stopped in mid-sentence as a look of horror fell over her face. The girl's eyes had just noticed Tsukuyo's condition. Her body was covered in bandages all over, some of which were starting to turn red from the accumulation of blood. The poor courtesan was obviously in bad shape.

"W-what happened to you?" Kagura managed to whisper quietly. "Y-you're covered in wounds all over…"

Tsukuyo remained silent once more before frowning at the girl. "Don't you remember?" she asked quietly. "You're the one that did this to me…"

All of a sudden, the horrible realization of what she had done came flooding back to Kagura. _That's right…I'm the one who gave her all these injuries…when I attacked her…How could I forget?_ Before long, feelings of immense guilt and shame welled up inside of the girl. Sure enough, her original feelings of self-hatred for letting things get so out of hand also resurfaced. It was like she was going through the entire process of remorse all over again.

"Listen, Tsukky," Kagura began quietly. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry for the things I did to you. For the things I said to you. I…I never wanted things to happen like that. I never wanted to hurt you…I'm sorry…"

Tsukuyo simply continued frowning as she listened to this. To be honest, this apology didn't really do much to help make up for the atrocities that she had committed the night before. The girl had actually tried to kill her, after all. And while Tsukuyo did feel a small sense of responsibility for what had happened, Gintoki's words were soon making her think otherwise.

"_I don't care what her reasons were; Kagura was way out of line. She had no reason to attack you like that. Honestly, she was acting like a complete lunatic."_

After thinking about this, Tsukuyo soon became wary of the girl before her. She was a little worried that the viciousness displayed the night before might make a reappearance…

Kagura, on the other hand, simply took note of the courtesan's silence, and looked away with a frown. "I can understand if you can't forgive me…I deserve it…"

Tsukuyo just gave the girl a stern look, but didn't respond to her. She honestly had no idea what to say to her. In the meantime, though, a more pressing question was on her mind. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Her tone didn't sound accusatory or hostile, but it wasn't gentle either. It managed to find itself somewhere in the middle.

Kagura just looked up at her. It didn't look like Tsukuyo had forgiven her, but she at least seemed open to conversation. She quickly decided to fill her in on what was going on.

"I came her to rescue you," she replied honestly. "I snuck aboard the ship and came looking for you in order to break you free. It wasn't long before they found me and captured me though." She then lifted up her wrists in order to show the courtesan her current position. The handcuffs still had them tightly bound together.

Tsukuyo just stared at the girl. "You came to rescue me?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," said Kagura somewhat uncomfortably. She then looked away. "Apparently, Gin-chan and Shinpachi came too."

Tsukuyo's eyes widened at this. "What? Gintoki is here?"

Kagura just nodded her head in silence.

Tsukuyo soon clenched her teeth in frustration. "Oh, damn that fool!" she cursed. "Why couldn't he just leave me the hell alone!?"

Kagura was shocked by this sudden shift in the courtesan's attitude. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Tsukuyo just sighed as she crossed her arms and looked away. "Gintoki showing up here was the last thing I wanted. This whole setup with me as the hostage is just a trap in order to capture Gintoki. And of course, being the stubborn fool that he is, it looks like he completely fell for it…"

Kagura frowned at this information. "I see," she replied quietly. "So if Gin-chan is captured while he's here, then-"

"Then that Takasugi bastard wins," Tsukuyo finished. "Damn it all…"

Kagura simply remained silent after this. She then glanced at the cuffs that restrained her. _I wish I could find a way out of this situation, but it's starting to look worse and worse by the second…Hmph, I wonder what ended up happening to that Sadist…_

Just then, the door to the room opened up once more and Abuto walked in again. This time, the Yato had two others slumped over his shoulders. As he walked in, he glanced in Tsukuyo's direction. "I got you two more neighbors," he said with a grin.

Tsukuyo narrowed her eyes as she tried to get a look at the new arrivals. To her horror, she instantly recognized them. "No, not this!" she cursed quietly.

Sure enough, it was Gintoki and Shinpachi being carried in. Shinpachi was still unconscious, while Gintoki remained paralyzed. Nevertheless, the samurai still managed to slowly shift his gaze towards her. "Tsukuyo…" he whispered.

Abuto simply grinned as he started by throwing an unconscious Shinpachi into a cell across from Kagura. Upon making contact with the floor, the boy suddenly woke up and began scrambling around in fright.

"Ah, what's going on!?" he cried.

Meanwhile, Abuto just ignored him as he closed the door and moved on to the cell across from Tsukuyo. He soon took the paralyzed Gintoki and threw him in with ease. Unlike Shinpachi, Gintoki simply sat there against the wall, completely frozen. Abuto soon locked that cell as well. He then took his leave as he walked back to the entrance and closed the door behind him.

The room was now dark once again. Nevertheless, Shinpachi was still scrambling around, trying to figure out what was going on. "It's so dark," he said. "Where am I?"

Kagura sadly glanced at him and decided to answer his question. "You're in the ship's prison."

Shinpachi quickly paused when he heard that. His eyes slowly adjusting, he soon noticed the girl that sat in the cell across from him. "K-Kagura-chan!?" he shouted.

Kagura weakly smiled at him. "Hey, Shinpachi…"

"What are you doing h-"

"YOU'RE A FOOL, GINTOKI!"

Kagura and Shinpachi both flinched at the sudden outburst next to them. To their surprise, they saw Tsukuyo clenching her prison bars, glaring at the paralyzed Gintoki in the cell across from her. Gintoki just silently stared back at the courtesan.

"Stupid man," Tsukuyo continued. "Why did you come here!? Didn't you know that it was a trap!? Just look at you! You completely fell for it! Why couldn't you just stay safe for once!? Stupid!"

Gintoki simply continued staring at her in silence. Then, after a moment, he softly spoke up. "Tsukuyo," he said, his voice full of concern, "are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Tsukuyo's eyes simply widened in surprise at this question. She tried to maintain her angry demeanor, but quickly found herself losing her composure. A couple of tears soon started to well up in her eyes as she clenched the prison bars once more. "You idiot…I'm _fine_…"

Gintoki simply continued eyeing her up and down. "What about your injuries?"

"They're fine too," she insisted as a couple of tears slid down her cheek. She then gave him a small smile. "I'm perfectly all right, you fool…"

Gintoki just frowned at this before he slowly began pulling his way forward along the floor of his cell. The effects of his paralysis were slowly wearing off, and it was now possible for him to make small movements if he tried hard enough. Before long, he had dragged himself to the front of his cell, where he was able to get a better look at Tsukuyo. He then clenched his teeth at what he saw.

"Liar."

Tsukuyo simply frowned as she looked down at her old blood-stained bandages. She then sighed. _I guess there's no fooling him…_

"Those wounds still need attention," Gintoki told her. "It's obvious that you should be in the hospital right now."

"Well, it's not like I can help that," she said as she crossed her arms. "I guess we're both fools, aren't we?"

Gintoki didn't respond to her, but instead just gave a frustrated sigh of his own. He then turned to look at Kagura for the first time since arriving there. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, more out of surprise rather than anger.

Kagura just gave him a blank stare in return. "I came here to rescue Tsukky, same as you," she explained. "I had no idea that you guys were going to be here though…"

"You came to rescue Tsukuyo too?" asked Gintoki, even more surprised.

Kagura slowly nodded.

"How did you get out?" he asked her. "I thought the Shinsengumi had you locked up."

"They let me off for good behavior," Kagura mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

"Hmph, bastards…"

"It doesn't really matter," Tsukuyo suddenly interrupted. "This whole thing was a trap, and all three of you just fell for it. It would have been best if you guys had just stayed away. By coming here and getting captured, you've just played right into that bastard's hands."

"And what were we supposed to do?" Gintoki quickly responded to her. "Just leave you here locked up in this cell?"

"It would have been better than having all four of us locked up," she replied with a shrug.

"Oh, stop acting like you know what the best plan of action is," Gintoki told her sternly. "You should know by now that we think with our hearts instead of our brains. If the plan was to lure us here in a rescue attempt, then it was destined to succeed, because none of us could ever live with the thought of abandoning you. We chose to come here because we care about you, and we don't care what the consequences are. That's the path that we chose, and if this is the punishment that we have to face for it, then so be it."

After that, the room went silent. Tsukuyo was rendered speechless, not quite sure how to respond. Kagura was surprised, since it seemed like Gintoki had included her in his little speech as one of the people that deeply cared about Tsukuyo. She thought for sure that there must have been some lingering feeling of bitterness left behind. Meanwhile, Shinpachi, who had been rather silent up to that point, decided to chime in.

"You know, Tsukuyo-san, it's hardly fair to accuse Gin-san of being a fool for this when you've done the exact same thing in the past. Remember back when we stormed the Yoshiwara palace in an attempt to save him from Kamui? You went with us and ended up risking your life in order to get him back. How is that any different from this situation?"

Tsukuyo stared at the glasses-wearing boy for a moment before frowning and looking down. "You have a point…" she muttered.

"Gin-san just feels the same way that we all did back then," Shinpachi said with a small smile. "That's just who he is, and it's the same for all of us."

"You're right," Tsukuyo quietly agreed. She then looked up at the samurai across from her. "Gintoki, I'm sorry…"

He stared at her for a moment. "I'm sorry too," he replied. "I never intended for us to get stuck in this mess. But don't worry just yet. I promise…I'm going to get us out of here. All of us. I swear it."

Just then, the doorway at the end of the room swung open, and light flooded in once more. This time, all four of the prisoners turned to see who was standing in the doorway. To their surprise, it was none other than their head-captor, Takasugi.

Kagura quickly sat up. "You!" she exclaimed.

"Bastard," mumbled Gintoki and Tsukuyo at the same time.

Takasugi in turn just grinned at them all before slowly walking inside. "Oh hush now," he told them. "You don't need to start barking like dogs when I walk in."

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Gintoki shouted at him as he clenched his prison bars. "You bastard…come over here so I can kick your ass!"

Takasugi simply glanced at him. "Hmm…you're looking rather scary, aren't you, Gintoki?" He then smiled as he looked away. "Well, _not really_. I'm not concerned since all of you are powerless within those cells. They're built to be strong enough to hold even the strength of a Yato. Although, it doesn't hurt to have their hands and feet tied together too," he said, glancing in Kagura's direction.

"Un-cuff me and we'll see about that!" the girl angrily shouted at him.

"Oh yeah?" said a new voice from the doorway. "And what's a weakling like you going to do even if you had your arms and legs free?"

Everyone turned to the doorway again only to find Kamui walking in this time. As always, he wore an amused smile on his face.

Kagura glared at the boy. "You! You're here too!?"

"That's right," he said with a grin. "Does that upset you, crybaby?"

"What's Kamui doing here?" Tsukuyo wondered with a frown.

"He's with Takasugi. They're working together," Shinpachi explained to her.

"Man Shinsuke, your plan worked out a little too well, didn't it?" asked Kamui as he glanced around the room. "You captured Tsukuyo without a problem, and then all we had to do was round up the rest of these guys once they showed up on your front door!"

"That's what happens when you have careful planning," Takasugi told him with a grin.

"I've tried that before," Kamui confessed, "but I usually end up messing it up by giving in to my random impulses."

"You have weak determination," Takasugi noted.

"And what the hell is your plan, exactly?" Gintoki suddenly interrupted them. "Why have you captured us?"

Takasugi glanced at him once more. "Ah, I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I might as well tell you, since there's no point in hiding it at this point."

The room then went silent as they waited for Takasugi to speak. Kamui went ahead and got comfortable in the corner, since he knew that this would probably be a long story.

"My goal," Takasugi began, "was to capture you, Gintoki, so that I could safely proceed with my plan for Edo's destruction. I wanted to prevent you from having any chance of interfering with my forthcoming attack. You see, I knew that if I tried to pull a stunt like this, you would be the first one to show up and stop me. So I asked myself this: why not just remove you in the first place? And now, as you can clearly see, I have already accomplished that. You are at my mercy, Gintoki…"

Takasugi then paused as he turned to Kagura for a moment. "Our ship will soon rise into the air and begin our attack on the city. It is to my understanding that Kagura here went ahead and destroyed our control room, but I assure you that our ship is still fully functional, and that we have more than one way of controlling its flight."

Takasugi turned back to Gintoki. "Therefore, we will lead the rest of my forces in an attack on three of Edo's key places of interest. We are going to simultaneously destroy the Terminal, Shinsengumi Headquarters, and Edo Castle."

Gintoki just clenched his teeth as he glared at the man before him. "Do you really think it's going to be that simple?" he muttered.

"Probably not," Takasugi mused, "but we are more than prepared for what's ahead of us."

"That's right," Kamui agreed with a smile. "I'm finally going to get to see some action!"

Slightly grinning, Takasugi then turned towards the two girls locked up behind him. "I'm so glad that my plan worked out as well as it did, and I have nobody but my two star players to thank for that." As he finished speaking, he slightly gestured his hands out in the direction of Tsukuyo and Kagura. In return, the two girls just stared at him.

"Star players?" repeated Kagura.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tsukuyo.

Kamui then gave a snicker from his corner. "Isn't it obvious? Tsukuyo was the bait, while the weakling was the catalyst for these events."

The girls stared at the Yato this time, now feeling more confused than ever. Meanwhile, Takasugi soon approached Kagura's cell with a delighted smile. "I must commend you, Kagura. We honestly couldn't have done it without your help."

Kagura just stared right back into his eye. "What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded.

Takasugi simply closed his eye as he continued grinning. "Perhaps an explanation is in order? I suppose I at least owe you that much…"

The room then went silent as they all waited for the man to continue. Before he did, though, he went ahead and pulled out his trademark kiseru and took a moment to light it. Once it was softly placed on his lips, he began his story.

"You see, from the beginning, we had implanted a drug inside of Kagura known as Dragon Rage. What it does is that it forces the user into a dangerously unstable state when they become angry. Without having any control, the user soon goes on a complete rampage, hurting all of those around them. In this case, it was Tsukuyo who activated the drug. Kagura became very upset with her while the drug was active inside of her body, and so, the target of Kagura's rage became Tsukuyo. This then led to the violent attack that took place between them. Tsukuyo was soon out of commission, while Kagura naturally reverted back to normal. And now, looking back on this whole scenario, I can see that Kagura truly was the perfect piece for my game…"

As Takasugi explained all of this, everyone's eyes went wide with surprise.

"So…so it was you," Kagura whispered. "You're the reason why I attacked Tsukky like that…"

Gintoki angrily grabbed the prison bars before him. "You put a drug inside of her!? And all this time, I had thought…"

Tsukuyo almost felt tears coming to her eyes. "So that's why…I thought that something hadn't seemed right…and now I know…"

Shinpachi slowly hung his head in dismay. "We should have known better…"

Takasugi just grinned as he exhaled smoke into the air. "Yes, it was all my doing. You poor, poor girl. I can't even imagine the mental torture you must have went through after attacking one of your friends…Then again, it only worked because you were angry with her in the first place."

Kagura soon clenched her teeth and forced her body forward so that her forehead collided with the prison bars. "You damn bastard!" she screamed. "You've been messing with me!? This whole time!?"

Gintoki quickly followed her lead. "How dare you!" he shouted. "You went too far this time, Takasugi!"

Takasugi simply turned towards him and raised an eyebrow. "Did I?" he asked slyly. "Listen up, Gintoki. I want you to watch everything important to you go to complete ruin. I want you to feel the pain of losing everything against your will. And I will personally destroy whatever it takes in order to do that…"

Takasugi then flashed a wicked grin as he reached into his kimono and pulled out a key. Slowly turning around, he went ahead and unlocked Tsukuyo's cell. Tsukuyo simply looked up at him in surprise, while Gintoki's eyes started to go wide.

"Bastard," he whispered. "What the hell are you doing…?"

Tsukuyo, knowing that she couldn't do anything with her injuries, shrunk back in her cell. Nevertheless, Takasugi simply walked up to her.

"Get away from her!" Gintoki shouted as he clenched the bars with all his might.

Takasugi ignored him as he slowly withdrew his sword from its sheath…

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

Takasugi carefully pointed the edge of his blade at Tsukuyo's chest. "Hmm, such a fine figure," he noted. "I would just love to trace every curve of this body…"

Without warning, Takasugi then moved his sword from one point to another, leaving a small cut on Tsukuyo's body. The courtesan clenched her teeth in pain, but managed to bear with it. Takasugi then proceeded to drag his sword along Tsukuyo's arm, right over one of her injuries. As the sword moved, it left a fresh trail of blood in its wake. He soon continued to do this over the rest of her injuries. Bandages quickly came undone, and new cuts were being placed all over the poor girl's body.

Gintoki could only watch in horror as this happened. "STOP IT, YOU BASTARD!"

At this point, Takasugi gave a wicked laugh as he continued. Tsukuyo tried her best to be brave and grunted through the pain. Nevertheless, fresh streams of blood were now slowly trickling out of her wounds, both new and old.

"I SAID STOP!"

Finally, Takasugi glanced back and smirked at Gintoki before slowly withdrawing his sword. He soon sheathed it without a sound. Unfortunately, any relief brought on by this action would soon be lost as Kamui decided to enter the cell. Naturally, he too was smiling.

He soon walked right up to the freshly bloodied Tsukuyo. "Do you still remember your old overlord?" he asked playfully.

Tsukuyo just glared up at him. "You're no longer the overlord of Yoshiwara," she muttered. "Hinowa is the overlord now…and she's a hell of a lot better than you…"

"Oh, is that so?" asked Kamui with another smile. "Well, even so, as the previous overlord of Yoshiwara, I should still hold some power over you…How about you bow to your old overlord?"

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth as she gingerly held one of her bleeding arms. "You can't be serious…"

"Come now," said Kamui, his smile growing bigger. "I said _bow_."

Without warning, Kamui placed his foot on top of Tsukuyo's shoulder. By sternly applying pressure, he managed to slowly force her body downward. Tsukuyo tried to fight it, but it was hopeless. Her injuries were screaming at her. Before long, Tsukuyo's forehead was touching the floor, her body now in a complete bow.

"Now that's more like it!" he said ecstatically.

Tsukuyo, gritting her teeth harder than ever before, forced her head up from the floor. She then threw Kamui the coldest glare she could muster.

"Fuck you," she muttered.

Kamui simply frowned at this. "Tsk, what a disloyal subject. We'll have to correct that."

Without warning, the Yato then retracted his leg before swinging it into Tsukuyo's side. The force alone picked the courtesan up off of the floor and hurled her into the corner of the cell.

"GAH!" she cried as blood flew everywhere.

Kagura and Shinpachi quickly grew worried for her.

"Tsukky!"

"Tsukuyo-san!"

Gintoki, on the other hand, quickly found himself overcome with rage like never before. Clenching the prison bars before him with all of his strength, he screamed at the top of his lungs. "KAMUI YOU SON OF A BITCH! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!"

Kamui just gave a snicker at this. "Huh, I'm starting to get tired of hearing that all the time."

Takasugi then reached a hand out and put it on the Yato's shoulder. "That's enough fun for now," he told him. "Let's go."

Kamui shrugged with a smile. "Fine."

And with that, the two men finally withdrew from Tsukuyo's cell. Takasugi then paused once the cell door was closed. "I better take care to lock it back up," he noted. "Then again, it's not like it will matter much…"

Tsukuyo simply struggled to pick herself up from her sorry state as she glared at him. Panting heavily, she managed to get on her hands and knees. "I'm fine," she breathed.

"Man, she really is a tough one, isn't she?" asked Takasugi, surprised.

"Don't you dare talk about her," muttered Gintoki, who was still seething with rage.

Just then, the room suddenly lurched, and everyone paused in surprise. The movement soon steadied out, and the room was still once more. Takasugi smiled at this.

"This ship is taking off," he explained. "At this rate, it will only be a few more hours before the attack begins. Don't worry though, I'll make sure that you're all around to see it."

Gintoki continued glaring at him from behind the bars. If only that jail cell wasn't there to separate them…

"See you later, Gintoki," said Takasugi with one final smile. He then made his way towards the end of the room, while Kamui followed behind him. As they exited, the Yato stopped in the doorway. He then turned around and gave a taunting wave to the prisoners inside. After that, he took the pleasure of closing the door behind him, plunging the room into darkness for the final time…

* * *

**Hey everyone! I've finally done it! I've reached 50 chapters for this story! Woo-hoo! Man, it's been a long time coming. In fact, it's almost the two-year anniversary for this story! Holy shit! I can't believe I've kept it up for this long! And guess what? I have no intention of stopping either :)**

**In any case, thank you all for supporting this story for 50 chapters over the last two years! Thank you for following, favoriting, and constantly reviewing! I love you all so much! And also, thank you for putting up with my delayed/infrequent updates! I **_**truly **_**appreciate it! XD**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I made it extra long just to fit all this great stuff in it! So yeah, be grateful for that! XD The only note I have to discuss is the reason for why Abuto carried Gintoki and Shinpachi into the prison cells instead of Kamui. We'll just say that Kamui handed them over to Abuto at some point off screen. Why? Well, because Abuto is his subordinate…and it wasn't quite time for Kamui to enter that room ;)**

**And now, as previously promised, I will now present where my story stands in the Gintama fanfiction rankings! All for the sake of making my head swell even bigger with pride! XD And also, it's because it's nice to see how far my story has progressed, so let's look! (Quick note: I included the M-rated stories this time, so this ranking should be more accurate than the previous one!)**

**As of January 2017, Silver Moon is ranked:**

**Reviews: #15 with 185 reviews.**

**Favorites: #96 with 92 favorites.**

**Follows: #36 with 112 follows.**

**Wow, just wow…You know what's amazing? All of these numbers are more than double what they were a year ago. I'm so happy. Thank you all so much. You know what else is amazing? Silver Moon is officially the **_**longest **_**Gintsu fanfiction ever written. With 200,000+ words and 50 chapters, it has almost no competition! Which is a shame, because long stories are great! But either way, this is amazing! Thank you all for sticking around for the ride!**

**And that's all this egotistical author has to say for now. I'm off to go learn some humility XD Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! I would LOVE that! Come on, you know I would! Next time, I'll continue with my top ten favorite Gintama characters. As for the chapter, we'll finally get to explore Gintoki's past…Oh boy, it should be good :D Until then, my friends!**


	51. Book 3 - Chapter 17

**Note: Listening to the Gintama OST "Disciple of Shoyo" while reading this chapter may give you the feels.**

Silver Moon – Book 3 Chapter 17

Once the door was closed and the room was plunged into darkness once again, the inhabitants quickly scrambled around to see how Tsukuyo was doing.

"Tsukuyo-san, are you all right!?" asked Shinpachi.

"You don't look good," Kagura noted uneasily. Of the four prisoners, she had the best view of the courtesan's condition.

"I said I'm fine," Tsukuyo managed to repeat, albeit roughly.

"But those cuts…" said Shinpachi. "You're covered in them…"

"And that kick from Kamui was nothing to laugh about…" added Kagura.

Despite her condition, Tsukuyo somehow managed to smirk. "It's nothing," she said. "Just some scratches and another bruise. No big deal, really…"

Kagura just sadly stared at her. "I wish there were something we could do to help."

"Don't worry," said Tsukuyo in between deep breaths. "I'll try to see if I can salvage some of these bandages…" She then took a moment to glance at Gintoki, who had remained silent since the door had closed. To her surprise, he was staring right at her, and his eyes were wide with anger.

"Curse that bastard…" he muttered. "I'll never forgive him for this…"

His hands starting to tremble, Gintoki eventually let go of the bars in front of him before giving a sigh. "I suppose I owe you an apology, Kagura. I had no idea that you weren't in control of your actions that night you attacked Tsukuyo…"

Kagura frowned at this. "Neither did I…"

"None of us did," Shinpachi admitted.

"Damn that Takasugi, damn him to hell," muttered Gintoki, continuing with his curses.

Kagura silently stared at him for a second before she decided to ask a question. "Why does that guy hate you so much, Gin-chan?"

Gintoki looked up and stared at her for a moment. He then glanced over to Shinpachi, and then to Tsukuyo. His eyes rested on her the longest, before they eventually fell to the floor as he gave a sigh.

"Takasugi and I…were both students at the same temple school."

Tsukuyo stopped messing with her bandages for a second as soon as she heard these words. She then threw a curious glance at Gintoki. _Wait a second, is he…?_

Gintoki soon continued. "I guess that you could say that we were rivals. We challenged each other constantly, and usually ended up with an equal number of wins and losses for both of us. Those were back in the happier times…"

Tsukuyo's mouth almost hung open in shock as she absorbed every word. She took a quick second to glance at both Shinpachi and Kagura, only to find them staring at the samurai with their full attention. Tsukuyo then turned back to face Gintoki, her expression completely surprised.

_I can't believe it! He's…he's actually sharing his past with us for the first time!_

Gintoki sighed before he continued again. "Unfortunately, those times came to an end when my master was unjustly arrested for treason against the state. We all knew that he was innocent, but there wasn't much that we could do about it at the time. Things would only worsen once the Joi War flared up, which me and my fellow students participated in heavily. Takasugi included."

Gintoki paused for a second. "I guess in a way, that war ended up driving the two of us together as comrades. We had a greater sense of trust then ever before, and we survived through harsh experiences together. It wasn't easy, but as long as we could rely on each other, things were bearable…"

Gintoki soon frowned. "But I guess that's part of where the problem lay…You see, our aim in the war was to save our master from his imprisonment at the hands of the Amanto. We didn't care much for the country or the changes coming about; we just wanted to save Sensei…Takasugi himself became a little obsessed with it. He owed a lot to Sensei, and he was even willing to die if it meant that he could save him. At one point, he even ended up asking a request of me. He said that if he died, he wanted me to take care of Sensei. At the time, I just made a simple request back: 'Don't die'. I knew that's what my master would have wanted…"

Gintoki's frown slowly curled into a small smile. "You see, before my master was arrested and taken away from us, he had me make a promise with him. I promised that I would protect our comrades and keep them safe while Sensei was gone. I knew that Sensei's wish was that we would all survive and stay safe, so I always did my best to look after everyone…"

Gintoki paused for a while after this. "But then, one day, I ended up in a desperate situation…My comrades had been captured, and we were completely surrounded by enemies. They soon gave me a choice: I could kill my comrades or I could kill my master. That was the only way they would consider letting us live, and all of the responsibility ended up falling on me…"

Gintoki sighed. "I knew what Takasugi wanted me to do, but I knew what my master wanted far more. After seriously thinking about the situation at hand, I…made my decision. I walked right up to where my master sat, and I…I took his head off…"

As Tsukuyo listened to this, she almost felt like she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel bad for Gintoki. She knew all too well the pain of losing a master, but she had never expected that Gintoki would have gone through something as horrific as that. It must have been dreadful.

"Gintoki…" she whispered softly.

Gintoki just shook his head for a second before he continued. "Naturally, Takasugi was pretty upset with my decision. He had been so dedicated to saving Sensei, even if it meant his death. To be spared at the cost of Sensei's life, it was too much for him to handle. And of course, a large portion of the blame fell on me. Takasugi has never quite forgiven me for the events that took place that day and the decision that I made. He holds a grudge against me, and the rest of the world that put him in that situation. That's why he's so intent on destroying everything around him; he just wants to see the world burn. And of course, as a result of the choice I made that day, I am forced to bear the weight of Takasugi's grudge against the world…"

Gintoki soon went silent after that, signaling the end of his story. The others were also silent for a while, trying to digest what he had just shared with them. Gintoki had always been rather quiet about his life before Odd Jobs, so this situation was a little unexpected, to say the least.

Eventually, Tsukuyo was the first to speak. "Gintoki…did you really go through something like that?" she asked gently.

Gintoki simply gave a nod without looking at her.

"That's…horrible…" Shinpachi mumbled.

"I…had no idea…" Kagura whispered.

The room then went silent once more, with nobody knowing quite what to say about such a tragic story. It wasn't until Gintoki himself spoke up that the silence was lifted.

"It is what it is," he said quietly. "Takasugi has never been able to come to terms with the past, and if that means that he hates me along with everything else, then so be it…"

Shinpachi frowned at this. "That's so sad…I even feel a little sorry for Takasugi…"

"Don't bother," Gintoki suddenly warned him. "Takasugi may have lived a tragic life, but he still chooses to do evil of his own volition. He should receive no pity for his actions."

"Gintoki," Tsukuyo called across from him. "Tell me something…What exactly do you plan to do with Takasugi?"

Gintoki stared at her for a moment but didn't answer. Tsukuyo decided to push the question further.

"Are you going to try to kill him? Or is it possible that you want-"

"That I want to save him?" Gintoki finished for her.

Tsukuyo nodded silently.

Gintoki just gave a sigh. "I'll be honest, as my former comrade, I do still have a duty to my master to protect him and keep him safe, even if that means from himself. However, as much as I would like to save him from his inner demons, I'm starting to think that the only way to do it would be to kill him…"

Gintoki then glanced at Tsukuyo, who was still covered in bloody wounds. "And frankly, after seeing what he did here today, I'm not exactly _against _the idea," he said fiercely.

Tsukuyo stared back at him with a look of concern. That look of anger honestly scared her a little, but she understood why Gintoki was feeling the way that he was. Soon enough though, Gintoki dropped his angry expression and looked to the floor. After a few seconds, to Tsukuyo's surprise, Gintoki started laughing a little. He then slowly looked up as he put a hand to his face.

"I really shouldn't be talking about saving anybody though, seeing the situation we're in," he said, slowly looking around at each of their jail cells in turn. "I have to admit, I really have no idea how we're going to make it out of this one…"

Shinpachi and Tsukuyo didn't respond to this, but Kagura surprisingly piped up. "Well, we actually do still have a secret ace up our sleeve. You see, I didn't come here alone. I ended up bringing someone with me."

Gintoki stared at her for a second before frowning. "I don't think that Sadaharu is going to be much help to us in this situation."

Kagura grew a little annoyed at this remark. "I wasn't talking about Sadaharu! I was talking about that Sadist from the Shinsengumi!"

"You mean Okita-san?" asked Shinpachi. "How did you manage to bring him along?"

"I didn't," Kagura explained. "He said that he had to go with me so he could keep an eye on me. It was the only way that he would even let me leave their headquarters."

"Where is he now?" asked Gintoki.

"No idea," Kagura admitted truthfully. "We boarded the ship together but then we ended up getting separated. I don't know what happened to him after that, but I can see that he hasn't been thrown in this prison with us, and that's a good sign."

"So you don't think that he's been captured yet?" asked Gintoki.

"No, I think he's still somewhere on the ship, and if he knows that we've been captured, I think that he's probably going to find a way to rescue us. He may be a complete and utter bastard, but I know that he wouldn't just leave us for dead."

"That's assuming that he's not already dead himself," Gintoki pointed out.

Kagura just shook her head at this. "Nah, he's a tough one. He wouldn't be stupid enough to die doing something like this."

"I'm not very familiar with this Okita person," Tsukuyo suddenly chimed in, "but you seem to think very highly of him, Kagura."

Kagura's expression immediately soured. "What!? Of course not! I hate that damn sadist to the core! He can go off and die for all I care!"

Tsukuyo merely raised an eyebrow at the girl while Shinpachi decided to speak up. "You know, Okita-san isn't the only person that we can rely on. Our friends that me and Gin-san left back at Odd Jobs will probably come and save us once they realized what's happened. And of course, there's the Shinsengumi too. They had this ship surrounded when we first arrived."

"I wouldn't count too much on those options," Gintoki suddenly interrupted. "First off, if those Shinsengumi bastards were going to do anything, they would have done it before the ship took off. We're already in the air; I doubt that there's much they can do for us now. The same goes for those four idiots back at Odd Jobs. They probably don't have any way of reaching us up here, and even if they did, I doubt that Mutsu would okay any sort of rescue plan. Especially after the little disagreement we had between us. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up convincing Zura and Sakamoto to just leave us for dead…"

Shinpachi frowned at this, but then lightly smiled. "Oh come on, Gin-san. No matter how upset Mutsu-san might be, she wouldn't do something like that. She's our friend after all, isn't she? I trust her…"

Gintoki just grunted as he turned away. "Hmph, we'll see…"

Shinpachi just stared at his boss for a moment before he gave a sigh. "You know Gin-san, your story about what happened to you in the past _is_ pretty tragic, but I don't think that it's all bad…You said you had a choice between saving your comrades and abandoning them to their doom, right? And in the end, you chose to save them. You _still _have those comrades, Gin-san. Trust in them. They'll save you just like you saved them back then."

Gintoki stared at the glasses-wearing boy before eventually giving a sigh himself. "I guess you've got a point there, Shinpachi. Fine then, I'll choose to wait for those idiots, and we'll just see if they show up."

Just then, out of nowhere, the door at the end of the room flew open, and light began pouring inside. Gintoki and the others quickly squinted in an attempt to see who was entering the room. Just then, a loud voice called out to them.

"Hey now, who are you calling idiots? Ah ha ha ha ha ha!"

"We could hear you through the door, you know!" said a second figure.

"Shut up and get out of the way already," came a cool voice from behind them. "I need to get in there and unlock those cells."

Gintoki and the others stared in awe as the figures of Sakamoto, Katsura, Mutsu, and Elizabeth came into focus. They all stood in the doorway with small grins and their arms crossed. Well, except for Mutsu, who seemed to be more concerned with getting inside and unlocking the prison cells.

"It's them!" Shinpachi cried. "It's really them!"

Kagura also cried out. "Zura! Lizzie! And, uh…the loud guy!"

"I'm not that loud!" Sakamoto shouted back to her with a frown.

"And it's not Zura, it's Katsura!"

Mutsu just ignored their bickering as she walked right up to Gintoki's cell with a set of keys in her hand. She then stared down at the man with a small smirk. "Well, look who was right," she said triumphantly.

Gintoki just ignored her comment, because he was still in shock about what he was witnessing. "I don't believe this," he said quietly. "Now that is some ridiculous Shonen timing!"

"Would you have rather had us come later?" asked Mutsu as she rolled her eyes.

"Er, n-no, now is fine," Gintoki stuttered, still stunned. "What are you all doing here?"

Katsura grinned at him from the doorway. "Rescuing you guys, of course."

Gintoki stared at them all in disbelief. "Are you serious!? I thought for sure that Mutsu would have left me for dead!"

"Actually," Sakamoto chimed in, "it was Mutsu's plan to come and rescue you in the first place."

Gintoki stared back up at the girl. "Really?"

Mutsu just frowned at him as she went ahead and unlocked his cell. "Don't jump to conclusions," she said bluntly.

Gintoki just frowned back as he stood up. "But how did you guys find us? I thought that this ship had taken off already."

"Oh, it has," said Katsura. "we're in the air right now."

Gintoki felt even more confused. "Then how did…?"

Elizabeth flipped a sign. 'Perhaps we should explain ourselves.'

"Right," agreed Katsura. "Well, you see, after you stormed out of the place back at your house, Mutsu here decided that we should keep an eye on the situation before making our move. And frankly, it's a good thing we did. Otherwise we would've ended up locked in a prison cell just like you."

"Er, right," said Gintoki as he looked away. "But how did you find us?"

"We tracked down Takasugi's ship to this location and then kept a close eye on it while evading the Shinsengumi's notice," Mutsu explained calmly. "It wasn't hard, since we were doing it from up in one of our airships."

"Wait, you guys were already flying overtop in your own ship?" asked Shinpachi.

"That's right," Mutsu continued as she unlocked the other cells. "We were so high up that those cops didn't even notice our presence, and all we had to do was use our telescope technology to watch what was happening below. When we saw this ship take off, we simply followed it. Once we caught up to it, we pulled up alongside and boarded. We took them all by surprise and fought our way inside. We found out where you guys were being held from one of the guards we questioned. After that, it was just a matter of finding you and the keys to get you out."

"Wow, you guys are crazy," said Kagura with the utmost respect.

Mutsu suddenly paused as she looked into the quietest prison cell. "Hey, idiot," she called, signaling Gintoki, "what's wrong with your fiancé?"

Gintoki immediately remembered Tsukuyo's dire condition and rushed over to her cell. Tsukuyo, meanwhile, just tried to brush it off as nothing. "I'm fine," she insisted.

"Damn it, Tsukuyo," Gintoki cursed. "Stop lying to yourself. She needs medical attention," he alerted the others.

"Right, Elizabeth!" Katsura called.

'I'm on it!' the bird's sign read. He immediately went to pull a first-aid kit out of his mouth as he ran over to Tsukuyo.

Meanwhile, Gintoki got close to Tsukuyo and looked over her wounds from head to toe. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" he asked her.

Tsukuyo frowned at him. "I just don't want to make you worry…"

"We're already way past that point," he replied. "At this rate, I'm never going to let you leave my sight again."

Tsukuyo weakly smiled. "And that's exactly why I didn't want you to worry."

Gintoki just gave her a small smile in return. "You fool..."

Meanwhile, Shinpachi was busy commending their saviors. "I have to say, I'm impressed with you guys!" he told them. "Did you really fight your way in here all by yourselves?"

"Well actually, there's a small part of the story that Mutsu seems to have left out," said Sakamoto with a smile. "You see, while we were waiting at Kintoki's place, a bunch of lovely girls showed up asking for the whereabouts of their boss. Now what was the name of their group again…? The Hakya?"

Tsukuyo's eyes immediately widened. "Do you mean the Hyakka!?" she shouted.

"Ah, that's it!" Sakamoto said as he pointed a finger in the air. "The Kyakka! Yes, indeed. They really are a bunch of nice young women. They showed up at Kintoki's house looking for Tsukuyo and once we explained what had happened to her, they begged us to bring them along! Ha ha, can you imagine? A bunch of women wanted to board my ship!"

"They didn't want to board because you were on it though…" Shinpachi muttered.

"They came with you?" asked Tsukuyo out of surprise. "So where are they now?"

"Where do you think?" asked Sakamoto with a grin. "They're on this ship right now, fighting off Takasugi's goons."

Tsukuyo could only lightly smile at this. "They…were really worried about me? Those idiots…I'll never understand why they hold me in such high regard…"

"Oh, stop being modest for once, would you?" Gintoki told her seriously. "They obviously love you, so they came to help you. And it's a good thing too, because we're going to need all the help we can get for what's going to happen next."

Tsukuyo glanced at Gintoki with a look of curiosity. "And what's that?"

Gintoki stared at her for a second before he stood up straight with a determined look on his face.

"We're going to kick Takasugi's ass."

* * *

**And another chapter done! After a long ass break! Er, yeah, sorry about that. My other story was giving me trouble, so naturally **_**this one**_** got delayed and blah blah blah excuses excuses I'm lazy, you basically know the drill by now right? XD**

**Anyways, I finally got around to exploring Gintoki's past in this chapter, and all I can say is that I hope I did it justice. I tried my best to explain it, at least XD And then a bunch of characters showed up that barely ever interact with each other and they all got together and now basically we're going to switch back to action pretty soon! Yay!**

**You know what I've noticed ever since I started writing Gintama fanfiction? The Gintama characters all have different ways of referencing each other, and it gets **_**really **_**confusing sometimes XD For example, some are easy, like Shinpachi who usually just adds "san" to everyone's name. "Gin-san", "Tsukuyo-san", "Katsura-san", etc. But then there's characters like Kagura, who call Gintoki "Gin-chan" and Katsura "Zura". That's simple enough, but what does she call Sakamoto? "Loud guy?" XD And what about Mutsu? And how does everyone else refer to Mutsu? Honestly, I wish that somebody would make a chart for all of the Gintama characters and how they refer to each other. It would be such a big help for fanfiction writers like myself! That way I wouldn't have to look this stuff up on my own XD Just a thought ;)**

**Speaking of characters, I'm supposed to be doing a top ten, right? Well, back to it then!**

**Number 4: Kagura**

**Listen to me. Kagura is my favorite main female lead in any anime or manga ever. Period. She's better than Nami, Winry, Kaoru, and is leagues above Sakura. What can I say? I love her attitude. She's so carefree, but will get upset over the smallest things, which is hilarious. She's also fierce and badass when she wants to be! But at the same time she can be really naïve and innocent. There's just so much going on there! Meanwhile, she is also a Yato, which automatically makes her awesome in combat! You just can't deny it! And I really like her tragic backstory with her family, which shows us that she's had to deal with a lot of stuff in her life. It's just sad…And finally, Kagura is just downright adorable. Her design, her interactions with the rest of the cast, her role as Gintoki's daughter/sister; it's just too damn adorable! And, oh man, when I saw tiny kid Kagura in the last episode (Episode 326), she was just so cute that I think my heart melted…Yup, that's right, it **_**melted**_**…Why is she so adorable!?**

**But yeah, I would say that Kagura is easily one of the best female characters in all of anime, and I would also definitely say that she is the best female lead. The only competition that comes to mind would be Kyoukai from **_**Kingdom**_**, and that's only if you consider her the main lead of that series…So yeah, Kagura wins XD**

**And that's that! Please feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter, and also let me know if you listened to the OST I suggested. I'd appreciate it XD Next time: everyone springs into action while they make a plan! Should be fun :) See you then!**


End file.
